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I 


The Seventy Weeks and the 
Great Tribulation 


I 




The Seventy Weeks 
and The Great 
Tribulation 


A Study of the Last Two Visions of 
Daniel, and of the Olivet Discourse 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. 


By PHILIP MAURO 

x w 


“I am come to make thee understand what shall be¬ 
fall thy people in the latter days” (Dan. 10:14). 


Hamilton Bros. 
SCRIPTURE TRUTH DEPOT 
120 Tremont St., Boston 9, Mass. 



Copyright 1923 
By Hamilton Bros. 
Printed in the 
United States of America 


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MW 25 73 





5572 


<Vt 


CONTENTS 


PART ONE 


CHAPTER I 

Principles That Should Govern in the Interpre¬ 
tation of Prophecy.9 

Nothing Should be Based upon Surmise—Proofs 
Should be Drawn from the Scripture Itself, which is 
the only Authority in Matters of Interpretation—But 
History Must be Appealed to in order to Show Ful¬ 
filment of Prophecy. Bible Chronology: The Bible 
Contains its own Chronology.— “Daniel The Prophet” 

—An Exact Time-Measure to the Coming and Cruci¬ 
fixion of Christ—Special Features of the Prophecy of 
The Seventy Weeks. 

CHAPTER II 

The Commandment To Restore and To Build 20 

Differences of opinion as to the Starting Point of the 
Prophecy Arising from Disregard of Bible Chronol¬ 
ogy—The Defectiveness of all Systems Based on the 
“Canon” of Ptolemy—Martin Anstey’s Chronology 
Based on the Bible Alone. The Decree of Cyrus the 
Great —Isaiah’s Prophecies Concerning Cyrus. Jose¬ 
phus’ References to Cyrus—Decrees by later Persian 
• Kings—Nehemiah’s Work on the Wall. 

CHAPTER III 

Details of The Seventy Weeks .43 

The Six Predictions of v. 24. The Division of the 
Period into Three Parts—“To Finish the Transgres¬ 
sion.”—“To Make an End of Sins”—“To Make Recon¬ 
ciliation for Iniquity”—“To Bring in Everlasting 
Rghteousness”—“To Seal up Vision and Prophecy”— 

“To Anoint the Most Holy Place.” 

CHAPTER IV 

*‘Unto The Messiah The Prince’’.55 

The Terminal Point of the Sixty-Nine Weeks; The 
Baptism and Anointing of Jesus—The Manifestation to 
Israel, the Beginning of the Lord’s Ministry—Proofs 
which fix the Terminal Point of the 483 Years—The 
Prince, 



6 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER V 

Messiah “Cut Off”.71 

The “Time” and the “Hour”—The Lord’s Earthly Min¬ 
istry—The Judgment: “The Prince that Shall 

Come”—Different Opinions as to the Time of His 
Coming—Titus, Son of Vespasian, was the Prince (or 
Commander) of the Roman Armies which Destroyed 
the City and Desolated the Land—The Terms of the 
Prophecy Forbid its Application to a Future 
Personage. 

CHAPTER VI 

The Seventieth Week .80 

The Interpretation of verse 27—Who is the Person 
Referred to? What “Covenant” is it? And what Sac¬ 
rifices?—“For One Week”—The Septuagint Rendering. 

CHAPTER VII 

Are The Seventy Weeks Consecutive? .... 91 

The Idea of a Detached and “Postponed” Seventieth 
Week Examined—Various Proofs that the Seventy 
Weeks are a Continuous Measure of Time—The Past 
Fulfilment of verse 27 Proves this—Many Bands that 
Clasp the Seventieth Week Firmly to the Other Sixty- 
nine—Why the Entire Period is Divided into Three 
Parts—The Overspreadng of Abominations—The De¬ 
cree of Cyrus Again—The Remainder of the Seven¬ 
tieth Week—God’s Prophetic Time-Measure. 

CHAPTER VIII 

Daniel’s Last Vision.119 

Outline of the Visions of Daniel '7, 8, and 9—How the 
Last Vision Came to be Given—The Prophetic History 
of Danel 11—The “Latter Days”—The “Thing” Re¬ 
vealed to Daniel—The Persian Era—The Macedonian 
Era—Alexander the Great and His Successors— 
Ptolemy Philadelphus—Antiochus the Great—Ptolemy 
Epiphanes—Antiochus Epiphanes (the “Vile Per¬ 
son”)—His Persecutions of the Jews—The Uprising of 
the Maccabees, and their “Exploits.” 

CHAPTER IX 

“The King”.139 

Various Attempts to Identify this Personage—The 
“Break” Theory—Proofs that the Prophetic Narrative 
is Continuous—“Herod the King”—Herod’s Dynasty 
Filled Out the Last Stage of Jewish History “Until 
the Indignation”—“According to His Will”—Exalting 
and Magnifying Himself—“The Desire of Women”— 







CONTENTS 


7 


“The God of Forces”—The Testimony of Josephus as 
to Herod—The Time of the End—Farquharson’s 
Commentary—Defeat of Antony and Cleopatra by 
Octavius Caesar—Edom, Moab and Ammon—The 
Treasures of Egypt—Tidings from East and North— 
Herod “Troubled”—His Outbreak of “Great Fury”— 

His Palace and His End. 

CHAPTER X 

The Time Of Trouble.168 

Michael the Great Prince—A Time of Trouble such 
as Never Was—Many Awakened—They Who Make 
Wise—Many Shall Run To and Fro—How Long the 
End?—A Time, Times and a Part—The Taking Away 
of the Daily Sacrifice—The Period of Three and a 
Half Years in Scripture. 

CHAPTER XI 

The Wise Shall Understand.188 

Who are “the Wicked” and “the Wise”?—Many Puri¬ 
fied and Made White, and Tried—False Prophets— 

Have These Prophecies a Future Application? 


PART TWO 

CHAPTER XII 

The Lord’s Olivet Prophecy.197 

Christ's References to the Approaching Destruction 
of Jerusalem—The Importance of that Event in His¬ 
tory, and in God’s Dealings with Mankind—Prophe¬ 
cies Concerning Jerusalem—Wrath to the Utter¬ 
most—Future Troubles for Mankind—Concerning 
Antichrist. 

CHAPTER XIII 

Outline of the Olivet Prophecy.210 

The Three Main Purposes of the Discourse—The Great 
Tribulation or the Days of Vengeance—The Sign to 
Flee—The Three Parallel Accounts of the Olivet 
Prophecy—“When Ye Shall See”—Self-Inflicted Suffer¬ 
ings—Tribulation “Such as Never Was.” 

CHAPTER XIV 

Mark’s Account of The Olivet Prophecy . . . 226 

The Question of the Four Disciples—The Stones of 
the Temple—The General Warnings—The Sign of 
the Approaching “Desolation”—Those Days to be 
“Shortened”—False Christs and False Prophets— 






8 


CONTENTS 


Proof that the Three Evangelists Refer to one and 
the same Tribulation—The Siege and Dispersion 
Foretold by Moses—The Abomination of Desolation 
was the Roman Armies, not an Idol in the Sanctu¬ 
ary—Luke’s Account: Is it the Same Discourse?— 
Israel’s Last Probation—The Time of Jacob’s Trou¬ 
ble—The Great Tribulation of Revelation VII. 

CHAPTER XV 

Josephus’ Description of the Siege of Jerusalem 248 

The Days of Herod Agrippa II and His Great Ora¬ 
tion—Felix and Festus The Sicarii—False Proph¬ 
ets—“That Egyptian”—Three Million at the Passover 
—The Cruelties of Florus—The Strange Retreat of 
Cestius—The Days of Vengeance—Josephus Taken 
Prisoner by Vespasian—Titus Succeeds Vespasian in 
Charge of the Roman Armies—The Internal Strife in 
Jerusalem—The Cruelties of the “Tyrants”—The Last 
Passover—Famine, Blood, and Fire—Unspeakable Suf¬ 
ferings—The Capture of the City and Dispersion of 
the Nation. 

CHAPTER XVI 

Concluding Comments.266 

Edersheim on Matthew XXIV—The Four Divisions 
of the Prophecy—The Beginning of Sorrows—A 
Strong and Illuminating Contrast—The Two Illus¬ 
trative Parables: The Figtree and The Man Taking 
a Far Journey—Signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars— 

The Times of the Gentiles. 



The Seventy Weeks and the 
Great Tribulation 


CHAPTER I. 

Principles that Should Govern in the Interpreta¬ 
tion of Prophecy 

Our object in the present series of papers is to bring 
before onr readers some results of recent studies of the 
prophecy of The Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9), and of the 
Lord’s discourse on Mount Olivet (Matthew 24, Mark 
13, Luke 21), in which He applied and expanded a part 
of that prophecy. 

Writings and addresses on prophecy always excite in¬ 
terest, because they appeal to the element of curiosity 
which is prominent in human nature. But such writ¬ 
ings and addresses are of benefit only so far as they 
rightly interpret the Scripture. In the case of unful¬ 
filled prophecy this is of ten-times a matter of difficulty; 
while on the other hand writers on prophetic themes are 
under constant temptation to indulge in surmises and 
speculations, and even in flights of imagination. Much 
has been put forth as interpretation of prophecy which 
is utterly unproved, but which could not be disproved 
except, as in cases where dates have been set for the 
coming of Christ, by the event itself. 

Another fact which has been impressed upon us in 
this connection is that there has been no progress in 
the interpretation of unfulfilled prophecy for a good 
many years. At “prophetic conferences,” and in books 
and magazines, the same things are being repeated to- 



10 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


day, with little variation, that were said two decades 
ago. It would seem that, for some reason, the Lord has 
not been, of late, shedding fresh light upon this part 
of His precious Word. Our own thought about the mat¬ 
ter is that writers on prophecy have gone so far in ad¬ 
vancing, and the people of God in accepting, mere 
conjectures, unproved theories, or at best mere probabil¬ 
ities, as interpretations of the prophetic Scriptures, that 
there must needs be a surrender of our speculative 
ideas, and a retracing of some of our steps (which have 
diverged from the truth), ere there can be any real ad¬ 
vance in the understanding of this part of the Word of 
God. 

Having these things in mind, we purpose, in entering 
upon the present line of studies, to be governed by cer¬ 
tain principles which, we believe, should control at all 
times those who assume to expound the Word of God to 
their fellow saints. 

The first of these controlling principles is, neither to 
accept nor to give forth as settled interpretation any¬ 
thing that rests upon surmise or mere probability; but 
only what is supported either by direct proof from 
Scripture, or by reasonable deduction therefrom. We 
maintain that it is far better to have no explanation at 
all of a difficult passage than to accept one which may 
turn out to be wrong. For it is not easy to give up an 
idea when once we have committed ourselves to it. 

In fact, that which chiefly stands in the way of the ac¬ 
ceptance of fresh light and truth from the Scriptures is 
the strong (in some cases almost invincible) reluctance 
of the human mind to surrender, or even to examine the 
ground of, opinions which possibly were originally ac¬ 
cepted upon human authority only, and without any in¬ 
quiry as to the support which can be found for them in 
the Word of God. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 11 

Another guiding principle is that the proof adduced 
in support of any interpretation should be taken from 
the Scripture itself. Our conviction is that, whatever 
information is essential for the interpretation of any 
and every passage of Scripture is to be found somewhere 
in the Bible itself. Were it not so the Holy Scriptures 
would not be able to make the man of God perfect, that 
is to say, complete, and thoroughly furnished unto every 
good work (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). We must, of course, ap¬ 
peal to history in order to show the fulfilment of proph¬ 
ecy; for it cannot be shown in any other way. But the 
interpretation of Scripture is another matter. 

Furthermore, wherever we offer a statement or opin¬ 
ion to the reader for his acceptance, we feel bound to 
give along with it the proofs by which we deem it to be 
established. This should be demanded of every writer. 
But, most unhappily, there are now in circulation many 
books dealing with Bible subjects, whose authors deem 
themselves to be such high ‘ ‘ authorities ’ ’ that they hab¬ 
itually make assertions of the most radical sort without 
citing in support thereof any proof whatever. We ear¬ 
nestly caution our readers to beware of all such. It is 
not according to the mind of God that His people should 
rest upon any human “ authorities ’ ’ whatever. His 
own Word is the only authority. 

These papers are prepared for the benefit of “the 
common people.’’ What we undertake by the grace 
of God to do is to make every statement and conclusion 
so plain, and to support it by such clear proof from the 
Scriptures alone, that the ordinary reader will be able 
both to see for himself the meaning of the passage, and 
also to comprehend perfectly the scriptural evidence 
by which that meaning is established. Thus he will be 
entirely independent of all human “authority.” 

This is an exceedingly important point. For, as mat- 



12 THE SEVENTY WEEKS 

ters now stand, it wonld be difficult or impossible to find 
any one whose view of the Seventy Weeks prophecy does 
not rest, as to some one or more essential features there¬ 
of, upon mere human authority. In our own case, when 
we began these studies (about May 1921) our opinion 
(in regard especially to the chronology of the prophetic 
period) had no better basis than that such were the 
views of certain eminent writers on Bible-topics; and 
this was most unsatisfactory, because we knew that there 
were other equally eminent students of the Bible who 
held an entirely different view. But now we are in no 
uncertainty. We have solid ground under our feet; 
for every conclusion rests upon the unshakable rock of 
God’s own testimony. This is as it should be. 

We wish particularly to impress upon our readers 
that the proofs furnished by the Scriptures for our com¬ 
prehension of this great and marvellous prophecy are 
not hard to understand or to apply. On the contrary 
they are quite simple. On a moment’s reflection it will 
be seen that it could not be otherwise. For the Scrip¬ 
tures were written, not for the erudite, but for the sim¬ 
ple-minded. Our Lord said, speaking of this very 
prophecy, 4 ‘Who so readeth, let him understand” (Mat. 
24:15); and it should not surprise us to find that all 
the materials needed for our understanding of the mat¬ 
ter are contained in the Bible itself. 

Bible Chronology. Prior to the publication of Mar¬ 
tin Anstey’s great work in 1913, all the existing systems 
of Bible Chronology were dependent, for the period of 
time embraced by the Seventy Weeks, upon sources of 
information outside the Bible, and which are, moreover, 
not only unsupported by proof, but are in conflict with 
the Scriptures. Anstey’s system has the unique merit 
of being based on the Bible alone. Therefore it is 
capable of being verified by all Bible readers. But for 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 13 

the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks there is no need to 
resort to any system of chronology, seeing that the 
prophecy contains its own chronology . In fact the dif¬ 
ficulties and confusion which have arisen in connection 
with this prophecy are due in large measure to the at¬ 
tempt to make it conform to an incorrect chronology.* 

A Prophecy of Transcendent Interest 

The Scripture we are now about to study is one of 
the most marvellous and most transcendently important 
in the Word of God. That which is of supreme interest 
in it is the divinely-revealed time-measure, starting from 
the return of the Israelites out of Babylon—an histori¬ 
cal event second in importance only to the Exodus from 
Egypt—down to the culminating event of all prophecy 
and all history, even “unto Messiah/’ and to His being 
“cut off and having nothing.” 

The very nature of the things here revealed is a guar¬ 
anty that, in the Scriptures themselves , will be found 
everything that is needed for a right and clear under¬ 
standing thereof; and further that the whole matter lies 
within the comprehension of ordinary saints. All we 
ask of our readers is their prayerful attention to the 
Scriptures to which we shall refer. Upon that sole con¬ 
dition we can confidently promise them that they will be 
well able to understand every matter advanced, and to 
see for themselves whether it be supported by the Word 
of God or not. 

Finally we desire to say that the conclusions we have 
reached involve nothing (unless in respect to some minor 
details) that has not been pointed out by sound Bible- 
expositors of other days. This, however, we were (in 

* Anstey’s Chronology is unhappily now out of print. But 
the present writer has published a book, The Chronology of 
the Bible (Hamilton Bros., $1.00), which gives the important 
features of Anstey’s system. 



14 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


some important particulars) unaware of until our stud¬ 
ies were completed; for while they were in progress we 
consulted no human authorities except Anstey’s Bible 
Chronology, mentioned above. 

If any of our readers should find themselves in dis¬ 
agreement as to any of the matters set forth herein, we 
would ask of such only a patient examination of the 
proofs advanced, together with that measure of kindly 
toleration which is to be expected in such cases amongst 
those who are, with equal sincerity, seeking to know the 
mind of God. 

‘‘Daniel the Prophet” (Matt. 24:15). 

The book of Daniel differs in marked particulars from 
all others. The miraculous element abounds in it; and be¬ 
cause of this it has been within recent years an object of 
venomous attack by the enemies of truth. Furthermore, 
the communications found in it are not, like other 
prophecies, in the nature of exhortations and warnings 
to the people of that time; for Daniel was not (like the 
other prophets), the messenger of God to the people of 
Daniel’s own day. They are, on the contrary, in the 
nature of Divine revelations , given to Daniel, either in 
the form of visions, or of messages direct from heaven. 
It does not appear that they were communicated to the 
people of that day. Thus the book is seen to be not for 
the people of Daniel’s own time, but for those of a later 
period or periods. Here is a very marked difference be¬ 
tween the prophecies of Daniel, and all others. 

Moreover, the book of Daniel has to do in a very spe¬ 
cial way with Christ; and to this feature we would call 
particular attention. Christ Himself is distinctly seen 
in it, once in earth in the midst of the burning fiery fur¬ 
nace, delivering the men who trusted in their God 
(3:25); and once in heaven, receiving an everlasting 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 15 

Kingdom (7:13, 14). And beyond all else in interest 
and importance is the fact that to Daniel was given the 
exact measure of time from an event clearly marked in 
his own day—an event for which he had fervently 
prayed—to the coming of Christy and to His being “cut 
off ” Moreover, in this connection God revealed to Dan¬ 
iel the marvellous things which were to be accomplished 
through the crucifixion of Christ, as well as the over¬ 
whelming judgments—the “desolations”—far surpass¬ 
ing anything of like nature theretofore—which were to 
fall upon the City, the Sanctuary and the People, in 
consequence of their rejection and crucifixion of Christ. 

In respect to these remarkable and immensely impor¬ 
tant features the book of Daniel stands in a class by 
itself. 

Moreover, this book contains, not only predictions that 
were to be fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, but also 
predictions relating to the end of this present age. For 
we have in the vision of the great image of gold, silver, 
brass, iron and clay, recorded in chapter 2, an outline 
of the course of human history from Daniel’s own time 
down to the second coming of Christ in power and glory; 
and the breadth of the prophecy is such that it em¬ 
braces the chief political changes of the whole world. 

It is doubtless because of the unique character and 
importance of this book that it has been so fiercely at¬ 
tacked within recent times, and that every attempt has 
been made to raise a doubt as to its authenticity; for 
great efforts have been made to convince the people in 
general that it was not written by Daniel, or in his day. 
Those attempts have conspicuously failed; but the ef¬ 
forts of the adversary to discredit this book are still to 
be seen in the crude interpretations, miscalculations, and 
fantastical views which have been poured forth in this 


16 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


day, now that it has become a matter of importance to 
“understand 7 ’ these prophecies. 

An intimation of the efforts that would be made to 
becloud the prophecy of Daniel is found in the words of 
Christ when, in referring directly to that prophecy, He 
said, “Whoso readeth let him understand” (Mat. 24: 
15). But those words may also be taken as an en¬ 
couragement to seek a right understanding of that won¬ 
derful series of prophecies. 

The chief interest of our study centers in the revela¬ 
tion given to Daniel in the first year of the Medo- 
Persian empire, and found in the ninth chapter; and it 
is to this prophecy of prophecies that we wish to direct 
attention at the present time. It is generally known as 
the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Dan. 9:24-27). 

The setting of this prophecy should first be carefully 
noted. Daniel had learned, through Jeremiah 25:11, 
and 29 :10, that the period which Cod had set for the 
“desolations of Jerusalem” was just seventy years 
(Dan. 9:1). That period was then about to expire; for 
the decree, whereby the captivity was ended and the 
Jews were allowed (and even exhorted) to return to their 
land and city, was issued by Cyrus within two years 
(Ezra 1:1). That this was the fulfilment of Jeremiah’s 
prophecy is certainly known, because it is recorded in 
Ezra 1:1, that the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus 
to issue that decree, for the express purpose that “the 
word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be 
fulfilled.” This is surpassingly wonderful and 
impressive. 

The effect upon Daniel of receiving this revelation was 
to send him to his knees in confession and prayer. His 
prayer should be carefully examined. It will be seen 
that it has to do entirely with the city, the sanctuary , 
and the people of God, with special reference to the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 17 

“desolations” of the city. It will be seen also that these 
same subjects are what occupy the prophecy which the 
angel Gabriel brought to Daniel in response to his 
prayer. We call special attention to this, and also to 
the following points of interest: 

1. God’s response to Daniel’s prayer was in the 
form of a revelation brought to him by the angel Gabriel, 
who stated, as the first item of information, that the 
seventy years of captivity were to be followed by a 
period of seventy sevens (of years). The word here 
rendered “weeks” is literally “sevens”; so there is no 
doubt that the period designated in this prophecy is 
seventy sevens of years—490 years. 

2. The decree which was to bring the captivity to an 
end by freeing the Jews, granting them liberty to return 
to their own land and to rebuild the city and sanctuary, 
was to be also the starting point of the “determined” 
period of seventy sevens of years. This is clearly seen 
from the prophecy itself in connection with Ezra 1: 1 
and other Scriptures hereafter referred to; and it is im¬ 
portant—indeed necessary in order to avoid being mis¬ 
led—that we grasp this fact and keep it in mind. So we 
repeat that the epoch-making decree of Cyrus in the 
first year of his reign (as sole king), in virtue of which 
the city and temple were rebuilt under Zerubbabel and 
Joshua, was both the termination of the 70 years cap¬ 
tivity and also the starting point for the prophetic 
period of 70 sevens, which had been “determined,” or 
measured out, in the councils of heaven upon the people 
and the holy city. Where the one period was to end, the 
other (just seven times as long) was to begin. Again 
we ask that this point be carefully noted. Full proof of 
its correctness will be given in our next chapter. 

3. Daniel had, in his prayer, confessed the sins of 
his people, for which sins God had brought upon them 



18 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


the “desolations” of their city and sanctuary. But, to 
his intense grief no doubt, the angel Gabriel revealed to 
him that a far more terrible sin, the very culmination of 
the sins of the people, was yet to be committed by them. 
This was to happen within the period ‘ ‘ determined ’ ’ by 
the prophecy; and moreover, in consequence thereof, a 
judgment far more severe was to fall upon them, even 
the utter destruction of the city and sanctuary, the 
sweeping away of the nation as “with a flood,” and 
“desolations” of age-long duration. No wonder we find 
Daniel, in the third year of Cyrus, still mourning and 
fasting three full weeks, and lamenting that his come¬ 
liness was turned in him into corruption (10:2, 3, 8). 

Daniel had said in his prayer, “Yea, all Israel have 
transgressed” (v. 11). An evident response to this is 
seen in the words of Gabriel, “seventy weeks are deter¬ 
mined upon thy people to finish the transgression.” 
With this we may compare the words of Christ, spoken 
to the leaders of Israel, just before the Olivet discourse: 
“Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers” (Matt. 
23 :32). They did so by rejecting and crucifying Him. 

4. The most important feature of the revelation 
brought by Gabriel to Daniel was the precise measure of 
time (69 sevens, or 483 years) “to Messiah, the 
prince”; and the time when Messiah was to be “cut off 
and have nothing.” This is the wonder of wonders, the 
prophecy of prophecies. 

5. The angel Gabriel, who brought these marvellous 
predictions to Daniel, is the same who announced the 
approach of the fulfilment of them to Zacharias and to 
Mary (Lu. 1:11-19 ;26). 

6. The expression used by Gabriel to Daniel, “thou 
art greatly beloved , 9 ’ is the exact equivalent of the word 
addressed by the same messenger to Mary—“thou art 
highly favoured” (Anstey’s Bible Chronology, p. 276). 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 19 

t 

Mr. Anstey says of this expression: “It is used three 
times to Daniel, and never to anyone else except Mary; 
and Gabriel is the only angel employed to make known 
to men the revelation of the mystery of redemption. ’* 

7. The revelation embraces two main subjects (a) 
the coming and cutting off of the Messiah, (b) the de¬ 
struction and “desolation” of the City and Sanctuary. 
It is a fact very familiar to all readers of the Bible, that 
Christ Jesus called this prophecy to the minds of His 
disciples on the eve of His being £ ‘ cut off, ’ ’ and definite¬ 
ly announced to them at that time the approaching 
destruction and ‘ 1 desolation ” of Jerusalem and the Tem¬ 
ple (Mat. 24:1-22; Lu. 21:20-24). 

In these seven points we have the main elements for 
a right understanding of the prophecy. 


CHAPTER II. 

“The Commandment To Restore and To Build” 

“From the going -forth of the commandment to restore and 
to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince ” (Dan. 9:25). 

The prophecy begins at verse 24. The angel informs 
Daniel that seventy sevens of years were “determined” 
(or marked out) upon his people, and upon his holy city, 
to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to 
make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting 
righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to 
anoint the most holy (place). Here are six things which 
were to be accomplished within the definitely determined 
period of 490 years of Jewish history. Into those six 
things we purpose to look later on. But there is one im¬ 
portant question that should be settled first. When does 
the stretch of 490 years begin? The next verse gives this 
needed information. We read, “Know therefore, and 
understand, that from the going forth of the command¬ 
ment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Mes¬ 
siah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks and three score 
and two weeks.” From this we learn that there was to 
be a total of 69 weeks (7 weeks plus 62 weeks) or 483 
years from the given starting point unto the Messiah. 

We must therefore determine with certainty the event 
from which the count of the seventy weeks was to begin; 
for it is manifest that the measuring line, notwithstand¬ 
ing it was given directly from heaven, and notwithstand¬ 
ing it is recorded for our benefit in the inspired Scrip¬ 
tures, will be of no| use to us whatever unless the 
starting point be certainly known. It is equally manifest 
that the starting point cannot be certainly known unless 
it be revealed in the Scriptures and in such wise that the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 21 

ordinary reader can “know and understand” it beyond 
a doubt. This essential matter, however, is revealed in 
the Word of God; and moreover the information is 
given in a manner so plain and so simple that the way¬ 
faring man need not err therein. To this we will come 
in a moment. But first it is desirable to speak of the 
various and conflicting ideas on this vital point that 
are found in current writings on prophecy. For, 
strange to say, there is the greatest disagreement and 
contrariety of opinion as to the particular “command¬ 
ment” or “word” referred to by the angel as the start¬ 
ing point of the 70 weeks. There are no less than four 
different decrees, or royal commands, which have been 
brought forward as the point from which the seventy 
weeks are to be counted. Some able and learned ex¬ 
positors choose one, and others equally able and learned 
choose another. Yet the Word of God speaks as clearly 
as to this as it speaks concerning where Christ should 
be born. 

Why then this difference of opinion? The explana¬ 
tion is that those who, in recent years, have turned their 
attention to this prophecy, have gone about the interpre- 
ation of it in the wrong way. They have pursued a 
method which cannot do other than lead to an erro¬ 
neous conclusion. This should be understood by the read¬ 
er (and we will seek to make it quite clear) before pro¬ 
ceeding further. 

The right way of getting at the chronology of the 
prophecy is so simple and obvious that a child can read¬ 
ily comprehend it. All we need to do is to ascertain 
from the Word of God the two events specified by the 
angel, (1) the going forth of the “commandment” and 
(2) the manifestation of “Messiah the Prince.” Hav¬ 
ing definitely fixed these two events (which the Scrip¬ 
tures enable us to do with certainty) we know from the 


22 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


prophecy itself that from the one to the other is just 483 
years. By this method we have no need of a system of 
chronology. 

But our expositors have proceeded in a very different 
way. First they have made choice of one or another of 
the various systems of chronology which have been com¬ 
piled by various chronologists—as Ussher’s, Lloyd’s, 
Clinton’s or Marshall’s. Then, having assumed the cor¬ 
rectness of the selected chronology, they have sought 
first for a decree of some Persian king, and second for 
some event in the lifetime of Christ, which would be as 
near as possible to 483 years apart, according to the 
selected chronology. 

It will be clear upon the briefest consideration that, 
according to this method, the interpretation of the 
prophecy is controlled by whatever chronology the ex¬ 
positor may have selected; for he needs must reject 
every interpretation which does not agree with his as¬ 
sumed chronology. 

Now, not only is this method of procedure funda¬ 
mentally wrong in that it tries to make events of Bible- 
history fit in with a man-made chronological scheme, but 
the fact is that every chronological system covering the 
period we have to do with ( i. e., from the beginning of 
the Persian monarchy down to Christ) is largely a mat¬ 
ter of guesswork. All those systems, without any excep¬ 
tion, are based upon the “canon” of Ptolemy, that is 
to say, a list of supposed Persian kings, with the sup¬ 
posed length of the reign of each, which list was com¬ 
piled by Ptolemy, a heathen astronomer and writer of 
the second century A. D. But Ptolemy does not even 
pretend to have had any facts as to the length of the 
Persian period (that is to say, from Darius and Cyrus 
down to Alexander the Great). Ptolemy estimates or 
guesses this period to have been 205 years long. And 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 23 

this is what has caused all the trouble and uncertainty; 
for every one who has attempted to construct a Bible- 
ehronology has based himself on Ptolemy’s estimate. 
In a word then, there is no chronology in existence of 
the period from Cyrus to Christ except in the Bible. 

In order to show how great is the uncertainty as to 
the length of the Persian empire, we have only to men¬ 
tion the fact that, according to Jewish traditions in the 
days of Christ (which surely are as much to be trusted 
as heathen traditions of a later date), the period of the 
Persian kings was only 52 years. Here is a difference 
of 153 years, and that in regard to a matter which is 
essential to an understanding of this prophecy. Sir 
Isaac Newton says that “some of the Jews took Herod 
for the Messiah, and were called ‘Herodians.’ They 
seem to have grounded their opinion on the 70 weeks.” 
Inasmuch as the accession of Herod was 34 years before 
Christ, it is evident that the opinion of the Herodians 
required a comparatively short Persian period. On the 
other hand, the opinions of certain modern expositors 
are based upon a Persian era of supposedly long 
duration. 

In order that the reader may clearly understand the 
situation, and its bearings upon our study, we would 
point out that Ussher’s chronology (whose dates are 
given at the head of the “margin” of our Bibles) 
makes it 536 years from the first year of Cyrus to the 
year 1 A. D. (four years after the birth of Christ). 
Add to this 26 years to the Lord’s manifestation to 
Israel at His baptism and we have 562 years. But, ac¬ 
cording to the Word of God it was to be only 483 years 
from the commandment to restore Jerusalem “unto 
Christ.” If, therefore, one begins by taking Ussher’s 
chronology (or any of the others) as the basis of his in¬ 
terpretation, he is forced to select a starting point about 


24 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


eighty years subsequent to King Cyrus, who (according 
to Scripture) was the true restorer, the man whom God 
specially raised up, and of whom He said, “He shall 
build My city.” (To this we will come shortly.) 

But we are not left to choose between Jewish tradi¬ 
tions and heathen traditions, or to base our conclusions 
upon either. For the Word of God shows us plainly 
what was the beginning of the prophetic period; and 
with that information in our possession, we know cer¬ 
tainly that it was just 483 years “unto Christ.” There¬ 
fore, we are bound to reject any and every chronological 
scheme, whether from Jewish or heathen sources, and 
any and every system of interpretation based thereon, 
which conflicts with the facts revealed in the Scrip¬ 
tures. 

This important matter of the defective character of 
all existing chronologies is fully discussed, and the facts 
clearly set forth, in Martin Anstey’s Bible Chronology, 
published in 1913, to which we must refer such of our 
readers as wish to study the matter exhaustively. Mr. 
Anstey’s work commands our confidence and respect be¬ 
cause he disregards all heathen sources, and all guess¬ 
work, and derives his information solely from the 
Scriptures. 

Concerning the dates given in Ptolemy’s table of Per¬ 
sian Kings, Anstey says: “They rest upon calculations 
or guesses made by Eratosthenes, and on certain vague 
floating traditions, in accordance with which the period 
of the Persian Empire was mapped out as a period of 
205 years. ’ ’ And he shows, by a great variety of proofs 
taken entirely from the Scriptures , that the period 
which Ptolemy assigns to the Persian Empire is about 
eighty years too long. It follows that all who adopt 
Ptolemy’s chronology, or any system based upon it (as 
all modern chronologists prior to Anstey do) would 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 25 

inevitably be led far astray. It is impossible to make 
the real Bible-events agree, within 80 years, with the 
mistaken chronology of Ptolemy. This single fact makes 
many modern books on Daniel utterly worthless, so far 
as their chronology is concerned ; and the chronology is 
the main thing. 

Concerning Eclipses 

An attempt has been made to call Astronomy to the 
aid of the defective Chronology of Ptolemy, by utiliz¬ 
ing certain incidental references, contained in frag¬ 
mentary historical records, to eclipses of the sun or 
moon. But such references are of no value whatever 
for the purpose, seeing that it is impossible to determine, 
in any given case, which one of a number of eclipses— 
within say fifty or a hundred years —was the one re¬ 
ferred to. For example, one of the clearest of these his¬ 
torical references is that of the “Eclipse of Thales,” 
mentioned by Herodotus. This eclipse is located by one 
astronomer as occurring in 625 B. C.; by another as late 
as 585 B. C. (a difference of 40 years) ; and by others at 
different dates in between (Anstey, p. 286). 

We see then first that the method adopted in current 
expositions of the Seventy Weeks prophecy is funda¬ 
mentally wrong; and second that the chronological sys¬ 
tem on which they are all based is formed largely by 
guesswork, and is certainly very wide of the mark as 
regards the length of the Persian Empire. 

An accurate and complete secular chronology exists 
from the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great 
down to the present time. It is only as regards the 
period from Cyrus to Alexander that there is uncer¬ 
tainty. 

The Decree of Cyrus the Great 

We will now proceed to show that the point of begin¬ 
ning of the seventy weeks is that great epoch-making 


26 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


and divinely-prompted decree of Cyrus the Great, 
whereof a record is given in 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23, and 
also in Ezra 1 :l-4. The proof is not only clear, simple 
and absolutely conclusive for all who believe the Word 
of the Lord, but it was given under circumstances which 
were designed to inspire wonder and admiration at the 
marvelous ways of God in bringing to pass that which 
He has purposed and promised to perform. 

Turning to Isaiah, Chapters 44 and 45, we find there 
God’s promise that Jerusalem should be rebuilt and its 
captives restored to their home, and not only so but we 
find that God mentioned by name the very man, 
1 ‘ Cyrus, ’ ’ by whom that promise was to be accomplished. 
The proof that King Cyrus was the one who should give 
the “ commandment” (or word) for the restoring and 
rebuilding of Jerusalem, is doubly forceful and im¬ 
pressive, and designedly so as the Scripture itself de¬ 
clares, because it was spoken by the mouth of the Lord 
two hundred years before Cyrus came to the throne. 

The passage begins with the words, ‘ ‘ Sing, 0 ye heav¬ 
ens, for the Lord hath done it” (Isa. 44:23). Evidently 
God is here calling attention to a work of great impor¬ 
tance and one in which He takes special delight. It was 
to be a work, moreover, by which the tokens of the liars 
(those who consulted omens) were to be frustrated, and 
the “diviners” made mad, and the “wise men” turned 
backward, and their knowledge made foolish (v. 25). 
Notwithstanding all that opposed His will, the high 
walls and strong gates of Babylon, and the wisdom of 
the astrologers, soothsayers and Chaldeans, God would 
“confirm the word of His servant, and perform the 
counsel of His messengers”; for it was He “that saith 
to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited, and to the cities 
of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the de¬ 
cayed places thereof; that saith to the deep, Be dry, and 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


27 


7 will dry up thy rivers; that saith of CYBUS, He is 
My shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even 
saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the 
temple, Thy foundation shall be laid” (w. 26, 27). 

We pause at this point to call to the reader’s mind 
that when the time for the fulfilment of this prophecy 
by Isaiah was at hand, the last Babylonian King, Bel¬ 
shazzar, was carousing with a thousand of his courtiers 
in fancied security behind the strong walls of Babylon, 
while the armies of Darius and Cyrus were besieging the 
city. Then appeared the part of a man’s hand, tracing 
upon the wall those four words which declared the doom 
of Babylon, though the magicians and astrologers and 
soothsayers were confounded by them, and their wis¬ 
dom turned to foolishness. Moreover, secular history 
has preserved for us the fact that the engineers of Cyrus’ 
army dug a new channel for the river Euphrates which 
ran through the city (thus fulfilling the words, “and I 
will dry up thy rivers”) and Cyrus entered by way of 
the dry bed of the stream. Thus were the “two-leaved 
gates” of Babylon opened to God’s appointed con¬ 
queror, who was to be a “shepherd” and a deliverer to 
His people. The next verse of the prophecy speaks of 
this: v _ Vi?'-*#*'*-- 

“Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus , whose 
right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and 
I will loose the loins of kings”—see Daniel 5:6, where it is 
said of Belshazzar, when he saw the handwriting on the wall, 
“so that the joints of his loins were loosed ”—“to open be¬ 
fore him the two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be 
shut” (Isa. 45:1). 

Here is God’s own testimony that King Cyrus, and 
not one of his successors, was to give the “command¬ 
ment” whereby Jerusalem was to be rebuilt and its in¬ 
habitants restored. Nothing could be plainer than the 
words, “He (Cyrus) shall perform all My pleasure, 


28 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, and to 
the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” This proof 
cannot be overthrown. Indeed none who believe the 
Scriptures to be inspired will even question it. Having 
this to guide us we must needs decline to follow those 
who, with a faulty heathen chronology as their only 
guide, grope for some event, long after Cyrus was laid 
in his grave, which can be taken as “the commandment 
to restore and to build Jerusalem. ’ ’ 

No further evidence is needed. But in this exceed¬ 
ingly important matter God has been pleased to give 
proof upon proof. Thus in Isaiah 45 :13 we have this 
further word concerning Cyrus: 

“I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will 
direct all his ways; he shall build My city, and he 

SHALL LET GO My CAPTIVES. ” 

No one who believes the Word of God will, with this 
Scripture before him, dispute for a moment that it was 
by Cyrus that Jerusalem was rebuilt and its captives re¬ 
stored to it. Here are two things which God distinctly 
foretold were to be done by Cyrus (and this was 200 
years before he came to the throne); first he was to re¬ 
build the city, and second he was to restore the captive 
Jews to their home. These are the very things men¬ 
tioned by the angel to Daniel; for he said, “from the 
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.’’ And 
the Scriptures make it plain that Cyrus made haste to 
fulfil this Word of God; and moreover that he knew 
just what he was doing, and why. 

There is truth here which, with a little attention, we 
can get hold of, and which, when understood, will both 
clear all uncertainties away, and also will fill us with 
admiration because of the wonders and perfections of 
the Word of God. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 29 

Observe then that, when the angel mentioned “the 
commandment to restore and to build,” Daniel would 
have known from the prophecy of Isaiah (which was 
familiar to him, as we shall see) that it was Cyrus who 
would issue that command. Now Cyrus was at that 
time co-ruler with, and subordinate to, “Darius the 
Mede” (Dan. 9:1). But in less than two years Cyrus 
became the sole ruler; and it was in the very first year of 
his reign that he issued the famous decree which gave 
new existence to the Jewish nation. 

That Daniel knew the prophecy of Jeremiah which 
gives the length of the captivity is expressly stated in 
Daniel 9:2. But that he also knew the prophecy of 
Isaiah, which foretold that the captivity would be ended 
by the decree of Cyrus, appears by reference to the de¬ 
cree of that monarch, which is partly quoted by Ezra. 
These are the words: “Thus saith Cyrus, King of Per¬ 
sia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the king¬ 
doms of the earth, and He haih charged me to build Him 
an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah” (Ezra 1:2). 

It is clear that this “charge” came to Cyrus, not 
through the book of Jeremiah, but through that of 
Isaiah; for it is in Isaiah that God, speaking to Cyrus 
who was yet unborn, charged him to build the city and 
temple and to release the captive Jews. It will thus be 
seen that God has given to Cyrus a remarkable place in 
His Word and in the execution of His plans. 

Daniel had not learned about the ending of the cap¬ 
tivity by a direct revelation from God, but “by books” 
—evidently not the book of Jeremiah only, but that of 
Isaiah also. We too have the same “books” that Daniel 
had; and we have also the book of Ezra, which contains 
a record of the great decree of Cyrus; and these several 
“books” give all the light that is needed to make the 
matter perfectly clear. 


30 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Concerning Cyrus 

This wonderful prophecy of Isaiah concerning Cyrus, 
and its bearing upon the purposes of God as a whole, 
have not received by any means the attention their im¬ 
portance deserves; and while it is not within the scope 
of this volume to treat it exhaustively, yet it is appro¬ 
priate that we should direct attention to some of its 
striking features. 

We note then that the restoration of the captive Jews 
and the rebuilding of the temple was evidently a mat¬ 
ter of great importance in the eyes of God. The fre¬ 
quent references to it in the messages of the prophets 
are proof enough of that. But here is the extraordinary 
case of a distinct prophecy, in plain words, of what God 
purposed to do, coupled with the name of the man by 
whom God purposed to do it. The only like case where 
an action is described and the name of the man who was 
to perform it is given before he was born, is that of King 
Josiah (1 Kings 13:2, fulfilled 2 Kings 23:15-17). 

When the time for the ending of the captivity (given 
by another prophet, Jeremiah) was on the point of ex¬ 
piring, God put into the hands of the man He had called 
by name two hundred years before, “all the kingdoms 
of the world,’’ so that he had the needed power to ful¬ 
fil God’s Word and to “do all His pleasure”; and be¬ 
side all that, God Himself “stirred up the spirit of 
Cyrus, that he made a proclamation throughout all his 
kingdom, and put it also in writing” (Ez. 1:1). And 
thereupon, in virtue of that command, over forty-two 
thousand Jews , headed by Zerubbabel, Joshua and 
Nehemiah, returned forthwith to Jerusalem (Ez. 2:1-6); 
and with them more than seven thousand servants and 
maids (v. 65). It was a new beginning for Israel; and 
Cyrus was God’s “shepherd,” chosen long beforehand, 
for bringing His sheep back to their proper fold. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


31 


The entire passage concerning Cyrus (Isa. 44:23-45: 
14) should be carefully read. We quote a part: 

“I will go before thee and make the crooked places 
straight. I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in 
sunder the bars of iron.” (This refers to the defences of 
Babylon.) “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, 
and hidden riches of secret places” (the treasures of Baby¬ 
lon), “that thou mayest know that I the Lord, which call thee 
by thy name , am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant's 
sake, and Israel Mine elect, I have even called thee by thy 
name; I have sumamed thee, though thou hast not known 
me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is no 
God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known 
me; that they may know, from the rising of the sun, and 
from the west, that there is none beside me: I am the Lord 
and there is none else.” 

In this remarkable passage God calls attention again 
and again to the fact that He had called Cyrus by name, 
long before he was born; yet this fact receives but scant 
attention, and its significance has been lost sight of by 
many who have undertaken to expound the prophecy of 
the Seventy Weeks. This must needs be the case with 
all who reject the decree of Cyrus as the starting point 
of the seventy weeks. 

Furthermore, God speaks not about Cyrus; but di¬ 
rectly to him. From this we can understand how Cyrus 
would say: ‘ ‘ The Lord God of heaven hath given me all 
the kingdoms of the world, and He hath charged me” 
etc. 

Finally, God declares that He had 4 ‘girded” Cyrus 
for this work in order that, from the east to the west, 
that is to say, in all the world, it might be known that He 
is the Lord, and there is none else. Manifestly, this pur¬ 
pose of God, in His marvelous dealings with King Cyrus, 
is virtually frustrated when, in the interpretation of the 
Seventy Weeks’ prophecy, the decree of Cyrus is set 
aside, and the word of some other king is chosen as that 
whereby Jerusalem was rebuilt and its captives restored. 

May the contemplation of God’s marvelous dealings 


32 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


in the ease of Cyrus lead us to adore Him Who is per¬ 
fect in knowledge, and Who worketh all things after the 
counsel of His own will. 

It was to be expected that, inasmuch as God has been 
pleased to give in His Word, an exact time-measure from 
a given event unto Christ, He would also make it clear 
beyond a doubt what the event is from which the count 
of years was to begin. And this expectation is fully met. 

Upon the plain and simple facts stated above it is evi¬ 
dent that every expositor who sets aside this decree of 
Cyrus as the starting point of the 70 weeks, and sub¬ 
stitutes some other event, must either be unaware of the 
testimony of Isaiah 44 and 45 (and of other Bible-testi- 
mony to which we will refer presently) or else he prefers 
the guesses of a heathen astronomer (who had no means 
of knowing the facts which occurred over five hundred 
years before his time) to the evidence of Scripture. 

This is a case where a mistake in regard to the start¬ 
ing point is fatal to an understanding of the prophecy 
as a whole. If we make a wrong start, we shall be in 
error throughout. 

It is interesting in this connection to see how this 
matter was understood by learned Jews in ancient 
times. Thus we find recorded in the history of Jose¬ 
phus* that Cyrus wrote throughout all his dominions 
that “God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of 


♦This Josephus was a priest who was horn about four years 
after the death of Christ. He was a God-fearing man, highly 
gifted, and is regarded as a remarkably able and trustworthy 
historian. He was an eye-witness and an active participator 
in the wars of the Jews which culminated in the destruction 
of Jerusalem by Titus. We believe the annals of Josephus 
have been providentially preserved, whereby we have 
authentic records of the fulfilment of prophecy by an eye¬ 
witness who, at the time he wrote, was not a Christian. We 
shall have occasion to quote largely from this writer later on. 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


33 


the habitable earth’’ and that “He indeed foretold my 
name ly the prophets, and that I should build Him a 
house at Jerusalem which is in the country of Judea.” 
Josephus goes on to say that, when Cyrus had read the 
words of the prophet Isaiah, “He called for the most 
eminent Jews in Babylon and said to them, that he gave 
them leave to go back to their own country, and to re¬ 
build their city Jerusalem and the temple of God.” 

Josephus also gives a copy of a letter written by Cyrus 
to the governors that were in Syria, which letter begins 
as follows: “King Cyrus to Sisinnes and Sathrabuz- 
zanes, sendeth greeting. 

I have given leave to as many of the Jews that dwell in 
my country as please [to do so] to return to their own 
country, and to rebuild their city, and to rebuild the 
temple of God at Jerusalem on the same place where 
it was before” (Antic. Bk. XI, Ch. 1, sec. 1 & 3). 

The proof that the rebuilding of the city was done 
by the commandment of Cyrus is so conclusive that 
Prideaux (one of the leading commentators on Daniel) 
frankly admits that “Jerusalem was rebuilt by virtue 
of the decree granted by Cyrus in the first year of his 
reign.” Yet this learned man rejects the decree of 
Cyrus as the starting point of the seventy weeks, simply 
because he shared the mistaken idea (for which there is 
no proof of any sort) that 490 years would not reach 
from that decree to the days of Christ. But if the fact 
be, as Prideaux admits, then to take any other event as 
the starting point is to falsify the prophecy. It is a 
choice between the clear statements of the Word of God 
and the guesses of heathen historians and astronomers. 
We are writing for the benefit of those who accept the 

Word of God as conclusive. 

It is true that Ezra, in the very brief statement he 
gives of the decree of Cyrus, does not specifically men- 






34 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


tion the building of the city. But that omission affords 
no ground whatever for assuming that the decree of 
Cyrus did not provide for the rebuilding of the city, 
much less does it afford reason for setting aside the word 
of the Lord spoken by Isaiah. In fact the decree of 
Cyrus, under which the Jews were, one and all, per¬ 
mitted to return to Jerusalem, and under which over 
forty-two thousand did return at once, necessarily im- 
. plied permission to build houses to dwell in. The build¬ 
ing of the temple is the most important matter, and that 
is why it is specifically mentioned in Ezra’s brief refer¬ 
ence to the decree of Cyrus. But, according to the 
prophecy of Isaiah, the commandment to rebuild the city 
was to be joined with that to rebuild the temple. Hence 
when we have found the commandment to rebuild the 
temple we have found that to rebuild the city. 

It should be observed that the words of Gabriel call 
for the going forth of a commandment to restore and 
to build Jerusalem. Those words fit the decree of Cyrus 
which was promulgated throughout his dominions, and 
which is expressly called by Ezra a “commandment” 
(Ezra 6:14). 

Furthermore, that the building of Jerusalem did 
actually proceed under the decree of Cyrus, appears 
from the fact that, at a time when only the foundation 
of the temple had been laid, the adversaries complained 
that the Jews were “rebuilding the rebellious and bad 
city, and have set up the walls thereof, and have joined 
the foundations” (Ezra 4:12). 

That statement of the adversaries was not a fabrica¬ 
tion; for it is fully corroborated by Haggai, who (pro¬ 
phesying during that same period of the cessation of 
work on the temple) said that the people were dwelling 
in their own ceiled houses, and that they ran every one 
to his own house (Hag. 1:4, 7). 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


35 


Moreover, it will be observed, in reading the book of 
Ezra, that he speaks throughout of Jerusalem as an ex¬ 
isting city , and in chapter 9:9 he gives thanks to God 
that He had given them “a wall in Judah and in Jeru¬ 
salem.” 

Some expositors have selected as the point of begin¬ 
ning for the 70 weeks the decree mentioned in Ezra 7: 
11-28. But that cannot be; for, in the first place, to as¬ 
sume it would contradict the Word of the Lord spoken 
by Isaiah, which bore witness that the “commandment’’ 
to restore the captives, to rebuild the city, and to lay the 
foundation of the temple, should be given by Cyrus; 
whereas the decree mentioned in Ezra 7 was made by 
“Artaxerxes” (Darius Hystaspes) who was one of the 
successors of Cyrus. 

Upon a careful reading of Ezra, chapters 6 and 7, it 
will be seen that what is there recorded agrees with and 
fully supports the Scriptures heretofore cited, showing 
that the work then in progress at Jerusalem, and which 
the enemies of the Jews sought to hinder, was based en¬ 
tirely upon the decree of Cyrus. For when those adver¬ 
saries complained by letter to King Darius concerning 
the work of rebuilding the temple (which the Jews had 
resumed under the stimulus of the prophesying of Hag- 
gai and Zechariah), Darius caused search to be made 
amongst the archives in the house of rolls (Ez. 6:1), 
and he found the decree of Cyrus commanding that the 
temple be rebuilt; and upon the authority of that de¬ 
cree of Cyrus , his successor Darius issued the decree 
mentioned in Ezra 6:6-12. 

It should be observed that, at that time, it was not 
a question of the rebuilding of the city. That had al¬ 
ready been done, at least to an extent sufficient to ac¬ 
commodate those who had returned. About fifty thou¬ 
sand people had returned in the first company, with 


36 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


wives and children, and others subsequently; and of 
course their first occupation was to provide themselves 
homes. We have already called attention to the state¬ 
ment of Ezra 4:12 that the Jews had “come unto Jeru¬ 
salem, building the rebellious and bad city, and have set 
up (marg. finished ) the walls thereof, and joined the 
foundations. ’’ 

The completion of the temple is mentioned in Ezra 6: 
14, 15, and it is said that it had been done “according 
to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius”—that of 
Darius being merely a re-affirmation of the decree of 
Cyrus, which had given the authorization for the entire 
work of restoration. 

The decree mentioned in Ezra 7 :ll-28 was some years 
later still. It had nothing whatever to do with the re¬ 
building of either the city or the temple. It could not 
have been the “commandment” for the building of 
either; for that commandment had already been given. 
It was simply a “letter” which the king gave to Ezra, 
for we read that “the king granted him all his request” 
(Ez. 7:6). That “letter” provided, first, that all the 
people of Israel, the priests and Levites, who were so 
minded of their own free will, might go to Jerusalem; 
second, that they might carry silver and gold to buy 
animals for sacrifice, and whatsoever else might be 
needful for the house of God; and third, that no taxes 
or tribute were to be imposed upon any priests, Levites, 
singers, porters, Nethinims or ministers of the house of 
God. So far from there being, in this “letter,” any 
“commandment” for the building of the city or temple, 
its contents show that both city and temple were already 
in existence. 

Nehemiah's Work on the Wall 

We come now to the latest in date of all the supposed 
“decrees” which have been selected by any expositor as 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


37 


that to which the angel Gabriel referred as “the com¬ 
mandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.” This is 
the “letter” given by the king to Nehemiah, at his re¬ 
quest, as stated in Nehemiah 2:4-8. 

This letter or written permit given to Nehemiah by 
the then monarch, or “Artaxerxes,” being the latest in 
date of all, is the farthest of all from the truth. Nev¬ 
ertheless it is the favorite of certain learned expositors 
of our day, and for the very reason that it is the latest 
in date, and hence agrees best with the mistaken chron¬ 
ologies which have been derived from the canon of 
Ptolemy. But even so, if this “Artaxerxes” was, as Mr. 
Anstey shows by satisfactory proof, the same king 
“Darius” as mentioned by Ezra, then the twentieth 
year (Ne. 2:7) of his reign would be too early by at least 
fifty years to agree with any of the before-mentioned 
chronologies. Consequently it has been further assumed 
that the king of Nehemiah’s day was Artaxerxes Longi• 
manus. But that monarch’s twentieth year would be 
approximately 100 years subsequent to the return from 
Babylon in the days of Cyrus; and hence it would be 
too close to the days of Christ to fit in with any of the 
existing chronologies. Therefore, to force an agree¬ 
ment in this case it is necessary to make the “seventy 
sevens” a period shorter than 490 years. The ingenuity 
of our expositors has been quite equal to this; for, to 
meet this difficulty, they have supposed that the “sev¬ 
ens” were not sevens of years, but of nondescript 
periods of 360 days each, which are not “years” at all. 
Thus, the acceptance of a false chronology (instead of 
basing conclusions on the Scriptures alone) leads even 
able and learned men to adopt one false assumption 
after another, and thus to go further and further astray. 

But we need not go outside the book of Nehemiah it¬ 
self for conclusive proof that the “letter” which the 


38 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


king gave to that devoted man was not “the command¬ 
ment” in virtue of which Jerusalem was rebuilt. In¬ 
deed, we have only to read chapters 1, 2 and 3 of Nehe- 
miah with ordinary care to perceive that the city had 
been already rebuilt, with walls and gates, at the time 
referred to in those chapters; that the tidings brought to 
Nehemiah, as recorded in chapter 1, were tidings of 
damage freshly done by the enemies of the Jews to the 
walls and gates of the rebuilt city; that the letter given 
by the king to Nehemiah was simply a permit to repair 
that damage; and that the work done by Nehemiah, as 
recorded in chapter 3, was the “repairing” of the wall, 
and the “repairing” of the gates, and the setting up the 
doors; the locks, and the bars thereof. For proof of 
these statements it is only necessary to read the chapters 
referred to. 

The tidings from Jerusalem. In chapter 1 Nehemiah 
relates that, while he was attending to his customary 
duties in the palace of the king certain brethren came 
from Jerusalem with tidings to the effect that those in 
the province of Judah, who had been left of the cap¬ 
tivity, were in great affliction and reproach. Further 
they reported, saying, “the wall of Jerusalem also is 
broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with 
fire” (Ne. 1:1-3). 

The effect of this report upon Nehemiah shows clearly 
that it was of a fresh and unexpected calamity they were 
speaking. For he relates that, when he heard those 
words, he sat down, and wept, and mourned certain 
days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 
The record makes it plain that the cause of his distress 
was not the condition of the Jews in the province, but 
the tidings of the damage which had been done to the 
walls and gates of the holy city. That could not possibly 
have been the destruction wrought by Nebuchadnezzar, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


39 


for that had taken place more than a hundred years pre¬ 
viously. Nehemiah had known about that all his life. 
His brethren, when he asked them “ concerning Jeru¬ 
salem/ ’ could not have told him, as a piece of news, of 
the damage that had been done a century before. That 
would not have been news to him, nor would the hearing 
of it have plunged him into deep distress. He states 
that he had not been sad beforetime in the king’s pres¬ 
ence (2:7); but now his sorrow was so great that he 
could not banish the evidences of it from his counte¬ 
nance, even in the king’s presence. There must have 
been a cause for this; and nothing but unexpected tid¬ 
ings of a fresh calamity to the beloved city could ac¬ 
count for his acute distress. With the walls damaged 
and the gates burned with fire, the city was exposed to 
her enemies, and the new temple itself was in danger of 
being again destroyed. 

In this report we have an indication of the “troublous 
times” foretold by the angel Gabriel (Dan. 9:25). 

In chapter 2 we have the account of Nehemiah’s re¬ 
quest to the king, and of the “letter” given to him. 
There is no decree, no “commandment,” nothing what¬ 
ever about rebuilding the city. And how could there 
be in view of the word of the Lord concerning Cyrus, 
saying, “He shall build My city”? It is true that 
Nehemiah made request that the king would send him 
to the city of his father’s sepulchres, that he might 
“build it.” But the word here rendered “build” is of 
very broad meaning, and would be appropriate to de¬ 
scribe the repairing of the damage to the walls and 
gates, which in fact is what it does mean in this instance. 
Nehemiah only sought permission to restore the parts 
that had been freshly destroyed. This will be shown 
below. 

What Nehemiah meant by his request appears in 


40 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


verses 7 and 8, namely, letters to the governors beyond 
the river to give him safe passage (in other words a pass¬ 
port), and also a letter to the keeper of the king’s forest 
to supply “ timber to make beams for the gates of the 
palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall 
of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.” 
These requests the king granted. Manifestly those let¬ 
ters do not constitute a commandment to rebuild the 
city. 

Finally, it clearly appears by chapter 3 that the work 
which Nehemiah did during his stay in Jerusalem was 
the repairing of the wall and of the gates of the city. 
The word “repaired” is used over twenty times in that 
chapter to describe that work. It was a small work, 
(comparatively to the work of rebuilding the city and 
temple) for it was completed, notwithstanding all 
hindrances, in the short space of 52 days, less than two 
months (6:15). 

In the third and fourth chapters of Nehemiah we find 
frequent incidental references to houses already existing 
in Jerusalem, and occupied by the owners thereof, but 
not a word as to any building of houses at that time. 
Thus we read in 3:20, 21 of “the house of Eliashib, the 
high priest.” In verse 23 we read that Benjamin and 
Hashup repaired “over against their house,” and 
Azariah “by his house.” In verse 25 mention is made 
of “the king’s high house.” In verse 28 it is stated 
that the priests repaired, “every one over against his 
house.” In verse 29 we read that Zadoc repaired “over 
against his house.” 

In chapter 4:7 the character of the work is shown by 
the words “the walls of Jerusalem were made up; and 
the breaches began to be stopped.” Verses 1, 6, 15, 17 
and 21 of the same chapter; also chapter 6:1, 15 and 
chapter 7:1 show that the work was only on the wall. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


41 


The words of 6:15, ‘ 1 So the wall was finished in the 
twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty and two 
days” record the completion of the entire work. 

In chapter 7:3 we read that Nehemiah appointed 
‘‘watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in 
his watch, and every one over against his house.” This 
again shows that the inhabitants of the city had houses 
to dwell in; though we should hardly need to be in¬ 
formed of a matter so obvious. The next verse appears 
at first glance to be inconsistent, though of course it is 
not. It says: “Now the city was large and great (or 
broad in spaces); but the people were few, and the 
houses were not built.” The meaning plainly is that 
there were yet large spaces within the walls which had 
not been rebuilt. Only a relatively small proportion of 
the population of the city had returned (“the people 
were few”), and hence the entire city had not yet been 
rebuilt. 

What we gather from this verse, taken in connection 
with the statements of the preceding chapters, tends 
still further to show that the work of Nehemiah was 
charged with was not the building of the city. The ac¬ 
count of what he did, which is quite detailed and minute, 
giving both the several workers and the work done by 
them, contains no reference at all to the city. It clearly 
appears that when the wall was finished in fifty-two 
days, the work was finished (6:15). It further appears 
that the people all had houses to live in (7:3). And 
finally, after all had been done which Nehemiah came to 
do, there remained yet a large part of the city unbuilt 
(7:4). 

In order then to force the record of the Book of 
Nehemiah into agreement with a scheme of interpreta¬ 
tion based upon the canon of Ptolemy, it is necessary 
to make the following assumptions, all of which are 


42 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


either unsupported by proof, or contrary thereto: 
first, that Ptolemy’s chronology, when ‘ ‘ corrected ’’ ac¬ 
cording to the ideas of some modern chronolo- 
gists, is right; second, that the “Artaxerxes,” spoken of 
by Nehemiah, is Longimanus; third, that in all the cen¬ 
tury previous, since the ending of the captivity, no de¬ 
cree had gone forth to restore and build Jerusalem; 
fourth, that the “letters” given to Nehemiah were the 
decree going forth; fifth , that God’s word concerning 
Cyrus was not fulfilled; sixth , that the “seventy weeks” 
were not weeks of true calendar years, but of periods of 
360 days each. Obviously any conclusion, which rests 
upon these assumptions, and which would be overthrown 
if any one of them should be proved erroneous, is utterly 
worthless. 

• 

We have discussed this whole matter at length so that 
no question might be left unanswered; but it should be 
kept in mind that it is of little importance to determine 
when the rebuilding of the city began. For the starting 
point of the prophecy was not the rebuilding of the city, 
but the commandment to restore and to build it. That 
commandment was, beyond the shadow of a doubt, 
given by Cyrus. The Word of the Lord by Isaiah set¬ 
tles that beyond all controversy. 

It is not necessary for our purposes to inquire which 
of the Persian kings was this “Artaxerxes.” But it is 
interesting to notice, as pointed out by Anstey, that, if 
this Nehemiah is the same as the one who went up with 
Zerubbabel, and whose name appears third on the list 
(Ez. 2:2), then the king could not be Artaxerxes Longi¬ 
manus, as supposed by certain expositors; for in that 
case it would make Nehemiah at least 120 years at the 
time he repaired the wall, and 132 at the time of chapter 
13 :6. 


CHAPTER III. 

Details of the Seventy Weeks 

Having made sure of the true starting point, we can 
now proceed with confidence to an examination of the 
details of the prophecy. But it will be needful, as we go 
on, to test every conclusion by the Scriptures, and to ex¬ 
ercise care that we accept nothing that is not supported 
by ample proof. 

The prophetic part of the angel’s message begins at 
verse 24, which, in our A. V. reads as follows: 

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon 
thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an 
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to 
bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision 
and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy (place).” 

Here are six distinct things which were to happen 
within a definitely marked off period of seventy sevens 
of years (490 years). These six specified things are 
closely related one to the other, for they are all con¬ 
nected by the conjunction ‘‘and.” 

This verse, which is a prophecy complete in itself, 
gives no information in regard to either the starting 
point of the 490 years, or the means whereby the pre¬ 
dicted events were to be accomplished. That informa¬ 
tion, however, is given in the verses which follow. From 
them we learn that the prophetic period was to begin to 
run “from the going forth of the commandment to re¬ 
store and to build Jerusalem”; also that sixty-nine 
weeks (seven plus sixty-two) would reach “unto Mes¬ 
siah, the Prince”; and further that “after the three¬ 
score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off.” It was 
by the cutting off of the Messiah that the six predictions 


44 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


of verse 24 were to be fulfilled. This should be care¬ 
fully noted. 

Thus we have before us a prophecy of transcendent 
interest, a predicted stretch of time from the re¬ 
beginning of the Jewish nation and the rebuilding of 
the holy city, down to the culminating event of all his¬ 
tory, and of all the ages of time— the crucifixion of the 
Divine Redeemer. These are things which the angels 
desire to look into (1 Pet. 1:12); and surely our hearts 
should move us to inquire into them, not in a spirit of 
carnal curiosity, and not with any purpose to uphold a 
favorite scheme of prophetic interpretation, but with 
the reverent desire to learn all that God has been 
pleased to reveal touching this most important and most 
sacred matter. 

Verses 25-27 also foretell the overwhelming and ex¬ 
terminating judgments—the “desolations’’—that were 
to fall upon the people and the city, and which were to 
last throughout this entire dispensation. 

The first words of verse 25, “Know therefore,” show 
that what follows is explanatory of the prophecy con¬ 
tained in verse 24. This too should be carefully noted. 

It is essential to a right understanding of the proph¬ 
ecy to observe, and to keep in mind, that the six things 
of verse 24 were to be fulfilled (and now have been ful¬ 
filled) by Christ being “ cut off,” and by what followed 
immediately thereafter, namely, His resurrection from 
the dead, and His ascension into heaven. With that 
simple fact in mind it will be easy to “understand” all 
the main points of the prophecy. 

These are the six predicted items: 

1. To finish the transgression. The “transgression” 
of Israel had long been the burden of the messages of 
God’s prophets. It was for their “transgression” that 
they had been sent into captivity, and that their land 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


45 


and city had been made a “desolation” for seventy 
years. , 

Daniel himself had confessed this, saying, “Yea, all 
Israel have transgressed Thy law, even by departing that 
they might not obey Thy voice. Therefore the curse is 
poured upon us” (ver. 11). But the angel revealed to 
him the distressing news that the full measure of Israel’s 
“transgression” was yet to be completed; that the chil¬ 
dren were yet to fill up the iniquity of their fathers; and 
that, as a consequence, God would bring upon them a 
far greater “desolation” than that which had been 
wrought by Nebuchadnezzar. For “to finish the trans¬ 
gression ’ * could mean nothing less or other than the be¬ 
trayal and crucifixion of their promised and expected 
Messiah. 

We would call particular attention at this point to 
the words of the Lord Jesus spoken to the leaders of 
the people shortly before His betrayal; for there is in 
them a striking similarity to the words of the prophecy 
of Gabriel. He said: “Fill ye up then the measure of 
your fathers . . . that upon you may come all the right¬ 
eous blood shed upon the earth” (Matt. 23:32). In 
these words of Christ we find first, a declaration that the 
hour had come for them “to finish the transgression”; 
and second, a strong intimation that the predicted deso¬ 
lations were to come, as a judgment, upon that genera¬ 
tion, as appears by the words “that upon you may 
come. ’ ’ 

Our Lord’s concluding words at that time have great 
significance when considered in the light of this proph¬ 
ecy. He said, “Verily I say unto you, all these things 
shall come upon this generation”; and then, as the aw¬ 
ful doom of the beloved city pressed upon His heart, He 
burst into the lamentation, “0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem 


46 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


—” ending with the significant words, “ Behold, your 
house is left unto you desolate.” 

The terrible and unparalleled character of the judg¬ 
ments which were poured out upon Jerusalem at the time 
of its destruction in A. D. 70 has been lost sight of in our 
day. But if we would learn how great an event it was 
in the eyes of God, we have only to consider our Lord’s 
anguish of soul as He thought upon it. Even when on 
the way to the cross it was more to Him than His own 
approaching sufferings (Lu. 23:28-30). 

The apostle Paul also speaks in similar terms of the 
transgressions of that generation of Jews, who not only 
crucified the Lord Jesus, and then rejected the gospel 
preached to them in His Name, but also forbade that 
He be preached to the Gentiles. Wherefore the apostle 
said that they “fill up their sins always; for the wrath 
is come upon them to the uttermost” (1 Thess. 2 :15, 16). 
For they were indeed about to undergo God’s wrath “to 
the uttermost” in the approaching destruction of Jeru¬ 
salem, and in the scattering of the people among all the 
nations of the world, to suffer extreme miseries at their 
hands. These Scriptures are of much importance in 
connection with our present study, and we shall have oc¬ 
casion to refer to them again. 

It is not difficult to discern why the list of the six 
great things comprised in this prophecy was headed by 
the finishing of the transgression; for the same act, 
which constituted the crowning sin of Israel, also served 
for the putting away of sin (Heb. 9:26), and the ac¬ 
complishing of eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12). They 
did indeed take Him, and with wicked hands crucified 
and slew Him; but it was done “by the determinate 
counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). The 
powers and authorities of Judea and of Rome, with 
the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were indeed gath- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


47 


ered together against Him; but it was to do what God’s 
own hand and counsel had determined before to be done 
(Acts 4:26-28). There is nothing more wonderful in 
all that has been made known to us, than that the people 
and their rulers, because they knew Him not, nor the 
voices of their own prophets, which were read every 
Sabbath day, should have fulfilled them in condemning 
Him (Acts 13:27). Therefore, among the many proph¬ 
ecies that were then “fulfilled” a prominent place must 
be given to that which forms the subject of our present 
study. 

2. To make an end of sins. On this item we need 
not dwell at length; for we have already called atten¬ 
tion to the marvellous workings of God’s wisdom in 
causing that the extreme sin of man should serve to ac¬ 
complish eternal redemption, and so provide a complete 
remedy for sin. For the crucifixion of Christ, though it 
was truly a deed of diabolical wickedness on the part 
of man, was on His own part the offering of Himself 
without spot to God as a sacrifice for sins (Heb. 9:14). 
It was thus that He “offered the one Sacrifice for sins 
forever” (Heb. 10:12). 

We understand that the sense in which the death of 
Christ made “an end of sins” was that thereby He made 
a perfect atonement for sins, as written in Hebrews 1:3, 
“when He had by Himself purged our sins and in 
many like passages. It is to be noted, however, that the 
Hebrew word for “sins” in this passage means not only 
the sin itself, but also the sacrifice therefor. Hence it is 
thought by some that what the angel here foretold was 
the making an end of the sin-offering required by 
the law. That was, indeed, an incidental result, 
and it is mentioned expressly in verse 27. But 
the word used in that verse is not the word found in 
verse 24, which means sin or sin-offering. It is a dif- 


48 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


ferent word, meaning sacrifice. We conclude, therefore, 
that the words, “to make an end of sins/’ should be 
taken in their most obvious sense. 

3. To make reconciliation for iniquity. The word 
here translated “reconciliation” is usually rendered 
“atonement”; but according to Strong’s Concordance it 
expresses also the thought of appeasing or reconciling. 
We shall, therefore, assume that our translators had 
good reason for using the word “reconciliation.” If, 
however, it be taken that “atonement” is the better ren¬ 
dering, the conclusion would not be affected; for both 
atonement and reconciliation were made by the death of 
Christ upon the cross. 

The need of reconciliation arises from the fact that 
man is by nature not only a sinner , but also an enemy of 
God (Rom. 5:8, 10). Moreover, it is l)ecause he is a 
• sinner that he is also an enemy. As a sinner he needs to 
be justified; and as an enemy he needs to be reconciled, 
The death of Christ as an atoning sacrifice accomplishes 
both in the case of all who believe in Him. In Romans 
5:8-10 these two distinct, but closely related, things are 
clearly set forth. For we there read, first, that “while 
we were yet sinners Christ died for us,” and second, 
that “when we were enemies we were reconciled to God 
by the death of His Son.” 

Reconciliation has to do directly with the kingdom of 
God, in that it signifies the bringing back of those who 
were rebels and enemies into willing and loyal submis¬ 
sion to God. In this connection attention should be 
given to the great passage in Colossians 1:12-22, which 
shows that, as the result of the death of Christ, those 
who have “redemption through His blood, the forgive¬ 
ness of sins” (v. 14), are also translated into the king¬ 
dom of God’s dear Son (v. 13), Christ “having made 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


49 


peace for them through the blood of His cross, by Him 
to reconcile all things unto Himself”; and the apostle 
adds, “And you, who were sometime alienated and ene¬ 
mies in your mind, yet now hath He reconciled in the 
body of His flesh, through death*’ (w. 20-22). 

It is certain, therefore, that, when Christ Jesus died 
and rose again, atonement for sin and reconciliation for 
the enemies of God were fully and finally accomplished 
as a matter of historic fact. It is important, and indeed 
essential, to a right interpretation of this prophecy, to 
keep in mind that atonement and reconciliation were to 
be accomplished, and actually were accomplished, with¬ 
in the measure of seventy weeks from the going forth 
of the decree of King Cyrus. 

It is thus seen that the prophecy has to do with the 
great and eternal purpose of God to establish His king¬ 
dom and to bring pardoned and reconciled sinners into 
it as willing and loyal subjects of Christ, the King. And 
when the time drew near the kingdom was proclaimed by 
the Lord and by His forerunner as “at hand.” The 
Lord’s own words, when taken in connection with the 
prophecy of Gabriel, are very significant. He said: 
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at 
hand” (Mk. 1:15). The time whereof He spoke was 
that declared in this great prophecy; which is the only 
prophecy which gives the time of His coming. Hence 
His words were really the announcement of His ap¬ 
proaching death, resurrection and enthronement in 
heaven, as the heavenly King of God’s heavenly 
kingdom. 

4. To bring in everlasting righteousness. Righteous¬ 
ness is the most prominent feature of the kingdom of 
God. To show this we need only cite those famiilar pas¬ 
sages: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His 
righteousness” (Mat. 6:33); “the kingdom of God is 


50 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” 
(Rom. 14:17). One characteristic of God’s righteous¬ 
ness, which He was “to bring in” through the sacrifice 
of Christ (Rom. 3:21-26), is that it endures forever; 
and this is what is emphasized in the prophecy. A work 
was to be done, and now has been done, which would 
bring in everlasting righteousness—everlasting because 
based upon the Cross, as foretold also through Isaiah, 
“My righteousness shall be forever ” (Isa. 51:8). Jesus 
Christ has now been made unto us “righteousness” 
(1 Cor. 1:30); and this is in fulfilment of another great 
promise: “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that 
I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King 

shall reign and prosper.And this is His Name 

whereby He shall be called JEHOVAH OUR RIGHT¬ 
EOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:5, 6). 

5. To seal up vision and prophecy. This we take to 
mean the sealing up of God’s word of prophecy to the 
Israelites, as part of the punishment they brought up¬ 
on themselves. The word “seal up” sometimes means, 
in a secondary sense, to make secure, since what is 
tightly sealed up is made safe against being tampered 
with. Hence some have understood by this item merely 
that vision and prophecy were to be fulfilled. But we 
are not aware that the word “sealed up” is used in that 
sense in the Scriptures. For when the fulfilment of 
prophecy is meant, the word “to fulfil” is used. We 
think the word should be taken here in its primary 
meaning; for it was distinctly foretold, as a prominent 
feature of Israel’s punishment, that both vision and 
prophet — i. e., both eye and ear —were to be closed up, 
so that seeing they would see not, and hearing they 
would hear not (Isa. 6:10). 

Moreover, this very sealing up of vision and prophecy 
as a part of the chastening of Israel was foretold by 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


51 


Isaiah in that great passage where he speaks of Christ 
as the Foundation Stone (Isa. 28:16). Following this 
is a prediction of “woe” to the city where David dwelt 
(29:1). So we have here a prophecy which is parallel 
to that of Gabriel. The latter spoke of the cutting off of 
Messiah to be followed by the destruction of Jerusalem; 
and Isaiah also spoke of Christ as God’s Foundation 
Stone, laid in Zion (resurrection) and then of the over¬ 
throw of the earthly Zion. As to this overthrow God 
speaks through Isaiah very definitely saying, 4 ‘And I 
will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege 
against thee with a mount, and raise a fort against thee, 
and thou shalt be brought down” (Isa. 29:1-4). Then 
the prophet speaks of a coming storm and tempest and 
devouring fire, and also of the multitude of the nations 
that were to fight against the city (vv. 6-9). And then 
come these significant words: “For the Lord God hath 
poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath 
closed your eyes, the prophets; and your rulers, the 
seers, hath He covered. And the vision of all is be¬ 
come unto you as the words of a book that is 
sealed” (w. 10, 11). This manifestly corresponds 
with Gabriel’s words “to seal up vision and prophet.” 
Moreover, the word “sealed,” in Isaiah 29:11, is 
the same as in Daniel 9:24. These words of 
Isaiah also give a remarkably accurate description of the 
spiritual blindness of the people and their rulers in 
Christ’s day, who, though they read the prophets every 
Sabbath day, yet because they knew not their voices, ful¬ 
filled them in condemning Him (Acts 13:27). 

The fulfilment of Isaiah 6 also comes in here. For 
the Lord Himself declared that, in His day, was ful¬ 
filled the word “Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed 
but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears 


52 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, 
and hear with their ears, and understand with their 
heart, and convert, and be healed’’ (Isa. 6:9, 10; Mat. 
13:14, 15). John also quotes this prophecy and ap¬ 
plies it to the Jews of his day (John 12:39-41); and 
Paul does the same (Acts 28:25-27). 

Hence we should note with deep interest the question 
which this sentence of judgment prompted Isaiah to ask, 
and the answer he received. Evidently the prophet un¬ 
derstood that the judgment pronounced in the words 
quoted above was to be one of terrible severity, for he 
at once inquired anxiously, “How long” the period of 
judicial blindness was to last. The answer was, “Until 
the cities ~be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses 
without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and the 
Lord have removed men jar away, and there be a great 
forsaking in the midst of the land” (Isa. 6:11, 12). 

Here we have a clear prediction of that which Christ 
Himself prophesied when He foretold the desolation of 
Judea, and the scattering of the Jews among all nations 
(Lu. 21:24). 

But the last verse of Isaiah’s prophecy declares the 
survival of a remnant of the Jewish nation and its “re¬ 
turn” (Isa. 6:13). 

The words of Christ also imply that “the times of the 
Gentiles” will have an end, and that Jerusalem will 
then be restored to the Jews (Lu. 21:24). 

6. To anoint the most holy place. When these papers 
were first written and published in serial form, we were 
of opinion that this prediction had its fulfilment in the 
entrance of the Lord Jesus Christ into the heavenly 
sanctuary (Heb. 9:23, 24). But subsequently a copy 
of Dr. Pusey’s work on Daniel the Prophet came into 
our hands, and we were much impressed by the exposi¬ 
tion of this passage given by that great Hebrew scholar, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 53 

who so ably defended the Book of Daniel from the as¬ 
saults of the destructive critics. He pointed out that 
the word anoint had acquired a settled spiritual mean¬ 
ing, citing the words of Isaiah 61:1, 2, which our Lord 
applied to Himself, as He Whom God had “anointed.” 
Dr. Pusey also pointed out that, inasmuch as the same 
word is used in the very next verse of Daniel “unto the 
Anointed, the Prince”—it is to be assumed that words 
so closely united must be used with the same meaning. 
This gives the idea of an “anointing of an All Holy 
place” by the pouring out of the Holy Spirit thereon. 
Dr. Pusey cites much evidence in support of this idea; 
but without going into the discussion of the matter at 
length, we will simply state that we were led thereby to 
the conclusion that the coming of the Holy Spirit upon 
the disciples of Christy on the day of Pentecost, thereby 
anointing (see 2 Cor. 1:21) a spiritual temple <( the tem¬ 
ple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16), furnishes a fulfil¬ 
ment of this detail of the prophecy, a fulfilment which 
is not only in keeping with the other five items, but 
which brings the whole series to a worthy climax. 

These six predicted events, which we have now consid¬ 
ered in detail, were, according to the words of God by 
Gabriel, to be accomplished within the “determined” 
(or limited, or “marked off”) period of seventy sevens 
of years; and we have shown—indeed it is so clear as 
hardly to be open to dispute—that all six items were 
completely fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, and in 
the “week” of His crucifixion. For when our Lord as¬ 
cended into heaven and the Holy Spirit descended, there 
remained not one of the six items of Daniel 9:24 that 
was not fully accomplished . 

Furthermore, by running our eye rapidly over 
verses 25, 26 we see that the coming of Christ and His 
being “cut off” are announced as the means whereby 


54 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


the prophecy Was to be fulfilled ; and that there is added 
the foretelling of the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus 
the Roman ‘ 4 prince/’ and the “desolations” of Jeru¬ 
salem, and the wars that were to continue through this 
entire age “unto the end.” 

We do not speak at this point of verse 27. That part 
of the prophecy will require a particularly careful ex¬ 
amination, which we purpose to give it later on. 

Prophetic events are often described in veiled lan¬ 
guage and highly figurative terms, so that it is a mat¬ 
ter of much difficulty to identify the fulfilment of them. 
But in this instance it seems to us we have the excep¬ 
tional case of a prophecy whose terms are plain and 
the identifying marks are numerous. If it were pos¬ 
sible to fix with certainty only one of the six predictions 
of Daniel 9:24, it would suffice to locate the entire 
series. But the indications given to us enable us to iden¬ 
tify five of the six with certainty, and the other with a 
high degree of probability. We have no doubt then that 
the entire prophecy of verse 24 was fulfilled in the 
death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and in the coming of the Holy Ghost from heav¬ 
en. And the settlement of the fulfilment of verse 24 
carries with it the location of the seventieth week, which 
is referred to specifically in verse 27. This will be 
shown later on. 


CHAPTER IV. 

“Unto The Messiah, The Prince” 

“From the going forth of the commandment to restore and 
to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be 
seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks” (Dan. 9:26). 

We have seen that the first part of this passage gives 
the starting point of the seventy weeks. The passage 
also gives the measure of time (7 weeks and 62 weeks, 
or 69 weeks in all) from that starting point “unto the 
Messiah.” We shall postpone to a later chapter the 
question why the total measure of time here mentioned 
is divided into two parts. The question which is of im¬ 
mediate importance for us to determine is, what was 
the precise occasion or event in the earthly lifetime of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, to which this stretch of 483 years 
from the decree of Cyrus brings us? We will now seek 
the answer to this question. 

Assuming, as we do, that God intended this prophecy 
to be understood (for verse 25 says, “Know therefore, 
and understand,” and our Lord said, “Whoso readeth 
let him understand”) we confidently expect to find both 
the starting point and the terminal point clearly re¬ 
vealed in the Scripures. We have already found this 
to be the case as regards the starting point, and we shall 
now find that the Scriptures also indicate clearly the 
event to which the measure of 483 years reaches, and 
to which the angel referred in the words “unto the 
Messiah, the Prince.” 

Had we followed the usual custom in beginning our 
study with a chronology selected from the various ones 
that are available, we should be forced thereby, as others 
have been, to pick out the event lying nearest to the 483 


it ^ bfa'hikj ’*? "s? 

56 THE SEVENTY WEEKS 

yearmark on our adopted scale of years. We should 
have been obliged moreover to manipulate the materials, 
so far as necessary (either stretching the measuring 
line, or taking up the slack, according as it was too short 
or too long), and then to present the best arguments we 
could find for the conclusions arrived at. But, being 
untrammeled by a chronological scheme, we are entirely 
free to enquire of the oracles of God as to the mean¬ 
ing of the words “unto Messiah, the Prince/’ and as to 
the occasion or event to which those words specifically 
refer. If we can, from the Scriptures, identify that 
event (which, we believe, can be clearly done) then we 
know, from the prophecy itself, that it is precisely 69 
weeks (483 years) from the going forth of the decree 
of Cyrus, and that but one week of the seventy remains; 
and we know further that the fulfilment of the six pre¬ 
dictions of verse 24 must be found within that remain¬ 
ing week. 

We must, of course, look to the words themselves to 
guide us to the information we are seeking; and those 
words are all we need. We are accustomed to regard 
the term 4 ‘ the Messiah ’ ’ as merely a name or a title, but 
in fact it is a descriptive Hebrew word meaning “the 
anointed (one).” In Greek the word Christos has the 
same meaning. Therefore, we have only to ask, when 
was Jesus of Nazareth presented to Israel as the 
Anointed One? As to this we are not left in any doubt 
whatever, for it was an event of the greatest importance 
in the life of Jesus our Lord, as well as in the dealings 
of God with Israel, and in the history of the world, an 
event which is made prominent in all the four Gospels. 
It was at His baptism in Jordan that our Lord was 
“anointed” for His ministry; for then it was that the 
Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily shape as a 
dove. The apostle Peter bears witness that “God 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 57 

anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and 
with power” (Acts 10:38). This is clear and explicit to 
the point that, when the years of Israel’s history had 
unrolled to that marvellous day on which Father, Son 
and Holy Spirit were simultaneously manifested to the 
senses of men, it brought them “unto the Messiah.” 
There is no day in all history like that. The event is 
marked in a way to distinguish it most conspicuously. 
The Lord’s own testimony in regard to the matter is 
even more definite and impressive. For, after His re¬ 
turn to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, He came to 
Nazareth where He had been brought up, and going in¬ 
to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, He read from the 
prophet Isaiah these striking words: “The Spirit of the 
Lord is upon Me, because He hath ANOINTED Me to 
preach the gospel to the poor”;—and after He had 
closed the book He said, “This day is this Scripture ful¬ 
filled in your ears” (Lu. 4:16-21). Thus the Lord de¬ 
clared Himself to be, at that time, the “Anointed” One, 
that is, “the Messiah.” 

The testimony of God the Father is to the same ef¬ 
fect. For the Voice from heaven bore witness to Him, 
saying, “This is My Son, the Beloved.” This declares 
Him to be the One of Whom David prophesied in the 
Second Psalm (v. 7). But that same Psalm sets Him 
forth as God’s “anointed” (v. 2). 

But we have a special witness in John the Baptist, 
who was a man sent from God to hear witness of Christ, 
and to make Him manifest to Israel; for John himself 
declared this to be his mission, saying, “that He should 
he made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptiz¬ 
ing with water” (John 1:6, 7, 31). When, therefore, the 
Lord Jesus had been “anointed” with the Holy Ghost 
and had been “made manifest to Israel” by the testi¬ 
mony of John the Baptist, then the words of the proph- 


58 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


ecy “unto the Anointed One” were completely ful¬ 
filled. From that great and wonderful event down to 
the day of His death He was constantly before the peo¬ 
ple in His Messianic character, fulfilling His Messianic 
mission, going about, doing good, healing all that were 
oppressed of the devil, preaching the glad-tidings of the 
Kingdom of God, manifesting the Father’s Name, speak¬ 
ing the words His Father gave Him to speak, and do¬ 
ing the works the Father gave Him to do. Indeed, even 
before He announced Himself in the synagogue of 
Nazareth as God’s “Anointed One,” He had plainly 
said to the woman of Samaria (after she had spoken of 
“Messiah, who is called Christ”), “I that speak unto 
thee am He” (John 4:25, 26). Moreover, to the Samari¬ 
tans who came out to see Him on the woman’s report, 
He so fully revealed Himself that they were constrained 
to confess Him, saying, “We have heard Him ourselves, 
and know that this is indeed the Christ (the Anointed 
One), the Saviour of the world” (v. 42). 

Furthermore, the nature, as well as the effect of John 
the Baptist’s public testimony to the Lord Jesus, is 
clearly revealed by the words of those who, on hearing 
his testimony, followed Jesus. It is recorded that ‘ ‘ One 
of the two who heard John speak and followed Him 
(Jesus) was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first 
findeth his own brother and saith unto him, We have 
found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the 
Christ” (John 1:40, 41). 

In these Scriptures the Holy Spirit has caused the 
important fact that Jesus was the Anointed One to be 
stated in both Hebrew and Greek, so that the signifi- 
* cance of it should not be missed. That “this Jesus is 
the Christ” is the great point of apostolic testimony 
(Acts 17:3); and it is the substance of “our faith”; for 
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is horn 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 59 

of God” (1 J. 5:1, 4, 5). It is likewise the rock founda¬ 
tion on which He is building His church (Mat. 16:18; 
1 Cor. 3:11). 

We have cited the foregoing Scriptures to make it 
clear beyond all doubt that, from the Lord’s baptism 
and His manifestation to Israel, He was in the fullest 
sense ‘‘the Messiah” or the “Anointed” of God. To 
this fact the inspired records bear, as we have seen, the 
clearest testimony. Manifestly there is no previous 
event in the earthly lifetime of our Lord which could 
be taken as meeting in any way the words of Gabriel. 
And it is equally clear that no subsequent event could 
be taken as the fulfilment of those words; for there is 
no subsequent occasion when the Lord was any more 
“the Anointed One” than He was when the Holy Spirit 
descended upon Him at His baptism. Thus the Scrip¬ 
tures absolutely shut us up to the Lord’s baptism as the 
terminal point of the 483 years; for it was then that 
“God anointed Him with the Holy Ghost, and with 
power.” 

Another fact which has an important bearing on this 
part of our study is the great particularity with which 
the date of the beginning of John’s ministry is given in 
the Gospel by Luke (3:1-3). There we read that the 
preaching of John the Baptist began in the fifteenth 
year of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor 
of Judea, Herod (Antipas) tetrarch of Galilee, his 
brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea, Lysanias tetrarch of 
Abilene, and Annas and Caiaphas being high priests. 
Thus the new era, which was that of the Messiah—God 
manifest in the flesh—is marked with extraordinary 
precision. And this is the more remarkable because it 
is the only event whereof the date is thus recorded in the 
New Testament. 


60 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


This is highly significant; for just as the date of the 
decree of Cyrus, marking the beginning of the Seventy 
Weeks, is stated with great definiteness, so likewise the 
preaching of John, which marked the termination of the 
483 years, is stated with extraordinary minuteness. It 
is a reasonable inference that God has given prominence 
to these dates in His Word because they mark the be¬ 
ginning and the ending of this prophetic period. 

It is also worthy of special notice that the dates of 
both these events are given by reference to the reigns of 
Gentile rulers. One is given as occurring “in the first 
year of Cyrus, King of Persia,” the other “in the fif¬ 
teenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.” This is 
an indication that the things which were to be consum¬ 
mated within the time-limit of 70 weeks were not mat¬ 
ters which concerned the Jews only, but were of world¬ 
wide interest, having to do with the welfare of all 
mankind. God’s dealings, theretofore, had been matters 
of Jewish history. But now, beginning with the voice of 
one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of 
the Lord,” a new era was beginning, one in which God’s 
dealings were to be matters of ivorld history. It is ap¬ 
propriate, therefore, that we should find at this point in 
the Word of God (Lu. 3:1-3) a change from terms of 
Jewish to terms of Gentile chronology. 

The prophets had foretold the ministry of John the 
Baptist in words which show that his appearance was 
to mark the beginning of a new and wonderful era, the 
preparation for the coming of Christ and His gospel 
(Isa. 40:3-11; Mai. 3:1; 4:5, 6). Moreover, just as the 
prophets had pointed forward to John’s ministry as the 
beginning of this new era, so likewise the apostles point¬ 
ed bach to it. Thus, when one was to be chosen to fill 
the place of Judas, it was required that the choice should 
be limited to those who had companied with the apos- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 61 

ties all the time that the Lord Jesus had gone in and out 
among them, “beginning from the baptism of John” 
(Acts 1:21, 22). Again, when Peter preached to the 
Gentiles in the house of Cornelius, telling them of “the 
word which God sent to the children of Israel, preach¬ 
ing peace by Jesus Christ, ’ ’ he declared that the preach¬ 
ing of this message (or “word”), which was “pub¬ 
lished throughout all Judea,” had begun “from 
Galilee after the baptism which John preached” (Acts 
10:36, 37). And Paul likewise, in proclaiming the fulfil¬ 
ment of God’s great promise of a “Saviour” to Israel, 
referred to John’s preaching as the beginning of the era 
of this fulfilment (Acts 13:24). 

It is clear, therefore, in the light of Scripture, that 
the 483 years “unto the Messiah” terminated at the 
Lord’s baptism, when His ministry as “the Messiah” 
began. Moreover, the prophecy itself furnishes a means 
whereby we can check up our conclusions thus far, and 
test their correctness. To this we will refer later on. 
The terms of the prophecy make it plain that the ex¬ 
piration of the sixty-ninth week would bring the fulfil¬ 
ment of the greatest of all promises, the manifestation 
of Christ to Israel; and we have now shown that the 
records of the New Testament mark the era of His man¬ 
ifestation with the utmost precision. 

Thus we have the coming of Christ plainly an¬ 
nounced, and the time of His manifestation to Israel 
definitely fixed by the measure of years from the decree 
to restore and build Jerusalem. But for what purpose 
was He to come ? And what was He to accomplish for 
the deliverance and welfare of His people Israel? The 
Jews would, of course, look for an era of triumph over 
all their foes, of great national prosperity and glory, 
and of supremacy for them over all the nations of the 
world. In the light of their expectations the prophecy 



62 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


would most strange. It would be utterly irrecon¬ 
cilable with their hopes in regard to what their prom¬ 
ised Messiah was to do for them. For the only thing 
said of Him was that He should be “be cut off and have 
nothing”; and while there was some hope in the promise 
that He should “confirm the covenant with many,” yet 
there was also the dreadful prediction of a prince whose 
people should destroy the rebuilt city and sanctuary, 
and the further prophecies that the land should be de¬ 
vastated as by a flood, and that to the end there should 
be wars and desolations. A more depressing prophecy, 
or one more in conflict with the Messianic expectations 
of the Jews, could not well be imagined. 

But our immediate concern is not with the character 
of the message but with the time of the several events 
foretold in it. The chief thing said of the Messiah is 
that He should “be cut off and have nothing” (Dan. 
9:25); and this was to be “after the three score and two 
weeks.” Thus we have our attention focused as it were 
upon the cutting off of the Christ. That transcendent 
event, the Cross, is thus made the central feature of 
the prophecy. And this feature becomes the more 
grandly prominent when we take notice of the facts: 
(1) that it was by the cutting off of the Messiah that 
the six predicted things of verse 24 were to be accom¬ 
plished; (2) that it was by the cutting off of the Mes¬ 
siah that the covenant with many (v. 27) was to be con¬ 
firmed and the sacrifice and oblation caused to cease 
(as will be shown later on); and (3) that it was be¬ 
cause of the cutting off of the Messiah that the devastat¬ 
ing judgments foretold in the prophecy were to fall up¬ 
on the city, the temple, and the people. 

Thus it is seen that the prophecy is one of marvellous 
unity y and that all its details center around the Cross. 

Now as to the time of this transcendent event, it is 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


63 


expressly stated that it was to be “after the three seer* 
and two weeks.” That part of the determined period 
was to bring us only “unto the Messiah/’ None of 
the predicted events were to happen within the sixty- 
nine weeks. The expiration thereof left only ‘‘one 
week” (v. 27) of the appointed seventy. Hence, with¬ 
in that one remaining week Messiah must he cut off if 
the predictions of verse 24 were to he fulfilled within 
490 years from the beginning of the prophetic period. 
For it should be carefully noted, in view of certain in¬ 
terpretations which have been put forth within recent 
years, that we have not yet come to the fulfilment of any 
one of the six things foretold in Daniel 9:24. The ex¬ 
piration of the 483 years has brought us only “unto” 
the One in Whom those six things, which involve the 
whole purpose of God in redemption, were to be accom¬ 
plished. Sixty-nine weeks of the determined seventy 
have passed. Only one week remains. It follows, there¬ 
fore, of necessity, that the predictions of verse 24 must 
be fulfilled in that last week. Within the next seven 
years the transgression of Israel must he finished, recon¬ 
ciliation must he made for iniquity, and everlasting 
righteousness must he brought in, else the prophecy 
would utterly fail. 

But this is just what might have been understood 
from verse 24 alone. The words “seventy weeks are de¬ 
termined” are enough to inform us that the seventieth 
week was the one which would see the accomplishment 
of the predicted events; for if they, or some of them at 
least, were not to fall in that last week, then the pro¬ 
phetic period would not have been announced as one of 
seventy weeks, but as one of a lesser number. In fact, 
the very manner in which the prophecy is given to us— 
the last week being set off from the rest for special and 
separate mention—indicates the exceptional importance 


64 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


of that week. And this is easily seen; for if we look at¬ 
tentively at the terms of the prophecy, we perceive that 
our Lord’s 'personal ministry lay entirely within the 
seventieth week. We ask our readers to lay firm hold 
of this fact. The prophecy plainly says there should be 
69 weeks (< unto the Anointed One.” Then, to make 
this clear beyond r* 11 doubt, it says, “And after the 
three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off.” 
This definitely places His whole ministry within the 
seventieth consecutive week from the decree of Cyrus. 
This‘is of the highest importance to an understanding 
of the prophecy. 

In this connection, and by way of anticipation of what 
we propose to consider more fully hereafter, we briefly 
call attention to several points which bear directly upon 
this part of our study: 

(1) . It is clear from what is recorded in John’s 
Gospel (and this has been often pointed out from the 
earliest, days of our era) that our Lord’s ministry was 
approximately, if not exactly, three years and a half in 
duration. Hence from His anointing to His death would 
be half a “week,” and His crucifixion would be (( in the 
midst of the (70th) week.” 

(2) Glancing now for a moment at Daniel 9:27 we 
note the words “and in the midst of the week he shall 
cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” If, as we 
expect to show hereafter by ample proof, the “He” 
of this verse is Christ, and the words quoted refer to 
His causing the sacrifices of the law to cease by His of¬ 
fering of Himself as a sacrifice for sin once for all, then 
we have a perfect agreement,, in the finished work of 
Christ, with all the terms of the prophecy, and particu¬ 
larly in regard to the length of time assigned to His 
earthly ministry both by the prophecy and by the Gos¬ 
pel according to John. 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION «5 

We need to exercise much care in this part of our 
study, because it has to do with matters regarding which 
there has been great uncertainty and wide difference of 
opinion. The difficulties, however, have been largely im¬ 
ported into the subject. They are due in great measure 
to the wrong method which has been pursued (as we 
have shown in a previous chapter), and to the choice of 
a wrong starting-point. For manifestly, the conse¬ 
quences of a mistake at the beginning will appear all 
along the way. On the other hand, it will be easy to 
keep from error and confusion if we bear in mind these 
simple facts (1), that, at the baptism of Christ 69 weeks 
had elapsed; (2) that the beginning of His ministry was 
the beginning also of the IQth week; (3) that His en¬ 
tire mission lay within the compass of that last week; 
and (4) that in that week we must needs look for the 
accomplishment of the six predictions of Daniel 9:24. 

We have not thus far referred to the latter part of 
Daniel 9:25. It merely tells that the street and wall 
(of the city) were to be built again “even in troublous 
times. ’ ’ The period of 11 seven weeks, ’ ’ mentioned in the 
verse, was no doubt the measure of those troublous 
times. This will serve to explain why the entire period 
of 70 weeks was divided into three parts—seven weeks, 
sixty-two weeks, and one week. In the first portion (7 
weeks), the rebuilding of the city and temple took place, 
and God’s last messages to Israel were given through 
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Then follows a long 
stretch of 62 weeks, which period was uneventful, so 
far as this prophecy is concerned. Chapter 11, however, 
(as we shall show later on) foretells the principal events 
of this period, which brings us “unto the Messiah,” and 
then comes the last and most momentous “week,” which 


66 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


appropriately stands by itself, for in it occurred the 
most stupendous events of all time. 

\ 

The Prince 

The fact that the angel Gabriel, in speaking of the 
Messiah, gave Him the title “Prince” (Dan. 9:25) sug¬ 
gests an inquiry, which, when pursued, is found to yield 
fruitful results. 

Two of the great visions which Daniel records give 
an outline of the history of human government, from 
the time of the vision to the very end of world-govern¬ 
ment in the hands of men; and in both of these visions 
it is shown that the last of the world-kingdoms will be 
followed, and the whole system of human rule will be 
displaced, by the Kingdom of God. The vision of chap¬ 
ter 2 shows this kingdom as a stone, carving itself out 
of the mountain without the agency of hands (this 
being a special feature of the vision), smiting the great 
image (which represents human rule in its entirety) up¬ 
on its feet, demolishing the whole image, and finally be¬ 
coming itself a mountain which fills the whole earth. 
Daniel, in expounding the vision, said that this stone 
represented “a kingdom” which “the God of heaven” 
would set up, and which should “stand forever” (Dan. 
2:44). Plainly the Lord Jesus had this Scripture in 
mind when, in warning the Scribes and Pharisees that 
the Kingdom of God was to he taken from them (for 
the promise of the Kingdom, along with all other prom¬ 
ises, had been given to the Jews), He spoke of (< ihe 
* Stone which the builders refused,” and declared that 
whosoever should fall upon it (then, at His first advent) 
should be broken; but on whomsoever it should fall (at 
His second coming in power) it should grind him to 
powder (Mat. 21:42-44). 

The companion vision (Dan. 7) reveals further de- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 67 

tails concerning this Kingdom of God. Particularly 
does it show that it was to be conferred in heaven upon 
One like the Son of man, to whom was to be given 
“ dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, 
nations and languages should serve Him: His dominion 
is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom that which 
shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13, 14). 

In view of these two preceding visions, which speak 
so definitely of a kingdom, it might be expected that 
the angel, in announcing in the vision of chapter 9, the 
coming of the Anointed One (who, of course, is the One 
Who is to receive the kingdom) would have referred to 
Him as “Messiah the King.” And indeed, if His com¬ 
ing to which the Seventy Weeks was the determined 
measure of time had been with a view to setting up a 
kingdom which would forthwith displace the earth-rule 
of man, then the title “King” would be the appro¬ 
priate one to use. But, in view of the actual purpose 
for which Christ was to come at that time, and of the 
work He was then to accomplish, there is a wonderful 
suitability in the title “Prince.” And not only so, but 
this title serves as a connecting link with certain New 
Testament Scriptures, referred to below, in which His 
work for this age is set forth in a comprehensive way. 

For the title “Prince” is given to the Lord Jesus 
Christ by the Holy Spirit, four times; whereas He was 
not once proclaimed by Heaven’s authority as King, 
at His first coming. (He was referred to as the King 
by the Gentile Magi, by Nathaniel when he first met 
Him, by the excited multitude at His last entry into 
Jerusalem, when their nationalistic expectations had 
been raised to a high pitch by the miracle of the raising 
of Lazarus, and by Pilate in derision. He was not so 
styled by John the Baptist, by Himself, or by His im- 


68 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


mediate disciples and apostles. These latter called Him 
“Master” and “Lord”.) 

The four New Testament passages to which we refer 
are these: 

1. Acts 3:15—“And killed the Prince of life, Whom 
God hath raised from the dead. ’ ’ 

2. Acts 5:31—“Him hath God exalted with His right 
hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repent¬ 
ance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ’’ 

3. Hebrews 2:10—“For it became Him, for Whom 
are all things, and by Whom are all things in bringing 
many sons unto glory, to make the Captain (Prince) of 
their salvation perfect through sufferings. ’ ’ 

4. Hebrews 12:2—“Looking unto Jesus, the Au¬ 
thor ( Prince) and Finisher of faith, Who, for the joy 
that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising 
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the 
throne of God.” 

Taken together, these four Scriptures present a won¬ 
derful view of the work of the Anointed One at His first 
advent. To begin with it should be noticed that in each 
passage His sufferings are made prominent. Peter says 
to the Jews at Jerusalem, “Ye denied the Holy One and 
the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto 
you; and killed the Prince of life.” Again, in Acts 5: 
30, he said: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, 
Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree, Him hath God ex¬ 
alted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour.” 
In the third Scripture we read that it became God, in 
bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Prince of 
their salvation perfect through sufferings . And finally, 
we read that as the Prince of faith, the One to Whom we 
must trustfully look while running the race set before 
us, He endured the cross, despising the shame. It is 
needless that we should point out how perfect is the 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 69 

agreement in all this with the one thing foretold of 
Messiah the Prince in Daniel 9:25, 26, namely that He 
should be cut off and have nothing . All these Scrip¬ 
tures then agree in their testimony that this Anointed 
“Prince” was, for the accomplishment of His mission, 
to suffer and to die. 

Again, viewing these Scriptures together, we see in 
them God’s four-fold objective in sending forth His Son 
in the likeness of man, and in anointing Him with the 
Holy Ghost and with power. It was (1) that He might 
be the Prince of life, thus to meet the deepest need of 
His perishing people, for He came “that they might 
have life”; (2) that He might also be the Prince and 
Saviour empowered to grant repentance and forgiveness 
of sins; (3) that He might be the Prince or Leader of 
the salvation of God’s many sons, to bring them all safe 
home to glory; and (4) that He might also be the Leader 
as well as the Finisher of that faith whereby God’s peo¬ 
ple are to run (and without which none can possibly 
run) with endurance the race which is set before them. 
This fourfold object of the purpose of Christ’s mis¬ 
sion at His first advent seems to present a comprehensive 
setting forth of His work. 

In these Sciptures then we view Him as the Prince of 
life exalted by God’s right hand; as the Prince and Sa¬ 
viour, granting repentance and pardon, and giving the 
Holy Spirit “to them that obey Him” (for He will ac¬ 
cept only willing obedience); as the Prince of the com¬ 
plete and final salvation of God’s “many sons” whom, 
by death, He has delivered from him who has the pow¬ 
er of death, that is the devil (w. 14, 15); and lastly as 
the Prince and Completer of a faith which triumphs 
through all difficulties, and sustains us to the end of 
the race. 

To summarize: The first passage has to do with the 


70 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


birth of the children of the kingdom; the second with 
their pardon and justification; the third with their pro¬ 
tection and safety while on their journey to the glory; 
and the fourth with the perfecting of their faith for the 
endurance of all the trials of the way. Taken altogether 
they give us the character of that kingdom which we 
have received through grace, and which is described in 
Hebrews 12:28 as ‘ * a kingdom which cannot be moved. ’ ’ 


CHAPTER V. 

Messiah “Cut Off.” The “Hour” 

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah he cut 
off, and have nothing” (Dan. 9:26, Marg.). 

The first clause of verse 26 focuses our attention up¬ 
on the greatest of all events. It tells us definitely that 
Christ was to be “cut off, and have nothing” (the mar¬ 
ginal reading, “and have nothing” is undoubtedly cor¬ 
rect). He was to have no people, no throne, no place 
even, on earth. But to the Israelites the words “cut 
off and have nothing” would convey the meaning of 
dying without posterity, without a “generation,” with 
none to perpetuate his name. This was regarded by 
them as the greatest of all calamities; and there was a 
special provision of the law whereby, in case a man 
should die, leaving no seed, his brother or near kins¬ 
man should “raise up the name of the dead” (Deut. 
25:5, 6; Ruth 4:10). But here is the astonishing state¬ 
ment that the long promised and ardently looked for 
Messiah was to be completely “cut off”! 

There is, in these words, a striking agreement with 
the prophecy of Isaiah, which contains the following: 
“And who shall declare His generation? For He was 
cut off out of the land of the living” (Isa. 53:8). There 
could seemingly be no “generation” for one who was 
“cut off.” Yet with that marvellous prophecy runs the 
apparently contradictory promise, “He shall see His 
seed” (v. 10). 

Considering now the statement, “And after three 
score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off,” the unity 
of the prophecy is seen in this, that the words, “after 
three score and two weeks,” bring us to the last of the 


72 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


“Seventy Weeks,” that is, to the period referred to in 
verse 24; and the words, “Messiah shall be cut off,” de¬ 
clare the means whereby the six predictions of that verse 
were to be fulfilled. Every part of this prophecy is thus 
firmly bound to every other part. It all has to do with 
the coming of Christ and what He was to suffer at the 
hands of His people; and it includes also a foretelling of 
the judgments that were to befall them for putting Him 
to death. 

We would, therefore, fix our attention for a little 
while upon this special period of time—this three years 
and a half—from the anointing of the Lord at His bap¬ 
tism to His crucifixion. That period is frequently re¬ 
ferred to in the Gospels as the “time” or “this time,” 
meaning the time of the Messiah. Thus, when our Lord 
said, “The time is fulfilled” (Mk. 1:15), He doubtless 
had reference to the time revealed to Daniel, the time 
when Christ was to be made manifest to Israel. Again, 
in Luke 12:56, where He asked, “How is it that ye do 
not discern this time?” and in Luke 19:44, where He 
said, “Because thou knewest not the time of thy visita¬ 
tion,” we may properly conclude that He had in mind 
the same “set time,” which had been definitely marked 
off in the unchangeable counsels of God and which He 
had communicated to Daniel, the man who was greatly 
beloved. The last mentioned passage (Lu. 19:41-44) is 
very closely related to the prophecy of the seventy 
weeks, for it is itself a prophecy by Christ of the same 
destruction of Jerusalem which is foretold in the proph¬ 
ecy of the seventy weeks. 

Surely there was no “time” like that, when God’s 
blessed Son, in lowly human form, went about doing 
good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. 
Many prophets and kings had desired to see those things, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 73 

and the angels desire to look into them. We should 
therefore be greatly impressed by the fact that God had, 
hundreds of years before, foretold that “time,” had 
given the measure of it, and had declared how it should 
end. 

But more than this, the Lord made frequent refer¬ 
ence also to a particular “hour,” calling it “My hour.” 
The “time” was that of His personal ministry in Is¬ 
rael, according to this prophecy; and the “hour” was 
that of His being “cut off,” according to the same 
prophecy. 

We would call to mind some of those passages, which 
must ever awaken love and praise in the hearts of those 
for whose sake He endured the agonies of that awful 
and mysterious “hour.” Thus, when certain Greeks 
desired to see Him, their interest being prompted by the 
great commotion caused by the raising of Lazarus, and 
when crowds were thronging to see Him and Lazarus al¬ 
so (John 12:9), He referred to the approaching “hour” 
when He, being lifted up from the earth, should draw 
“all men,” Greeks as well as Jews, unto Him, and said, 
“The hour is come that the Son of man should be glori- 
fiel”; and again, “Now is My soul troubled; and what 
shall I say? Father save me from this hour? But for 
this cause came I unto this hour }> (John 12:20-27). 
Also in John 17:1 we read His words, “Father, the hour 
is come.” And a little later that same evening He 
prayed in the garden, asking “that if it were possible 
the hour might pass from Him” (Mk. 14:35). It is 
plain that, in these passaegs, He was speaking of the 
hour when He should be made a sacrifice for sin upon 
the cross—the hour when Messiah should “be cut off and 
have nothing. ’’ 


74 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


The Judgment. “The Prince That Shall Come” 

The verse we are now considering (Dan. 9 :26) fore¬ 
tells not only the crowning sin of Israel in putting their 
Messiah to death, but also the great and terrible judg¬ 
ment that was to follow the perpetration of that un¬ 
speakable deed. There is a direct logical connection be¬ 
tween the two events, which will account for the fact 
that the chronological order is not strictly followed. 

There are differences of opinion among competent 
scholars as to the proper translation of the latter part 
of verse 26. In the text of the A. V. it reads: 

“And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy 
the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall he with 
a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are deter¬ 
mined.” 

The R. V. makes clearer the meaning of the last 
clause. It reads “and unto the end shall be war; deso¬ 
lations are determined.” 

Notwithstanding, however, the differences of transla¬ 
tion, it is not difficult to gather the meaning of the pas¬ 
sage. Indeed, so far as we are aware, all expositors agree 
that it foretells the exterminating judgment of God, 
which in due time was executed by the Roman armies 
under Titus, by whom the city was overwhelmed as 
“with a flood” (a figure often used for an invading ar¬ 
my), and the city and the land were given over to the 
age-long “desolations,” which had been “determined” 
in the counsels of God. Doubtless the Lord had this 
very passage in mind when, speaking of the then ap¬ 
proaching siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the 
Romans, He said: “For these be the days of vengeance , 
that all things that are written may be fulfilled” (Lu. 
21:22). The “things that are written” were the things 
foretold in this verse of the prophecy (Dan. 9:26), 
which were “fulfilled” at that time. The Lord’s words 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 75 

recorded in Matthew 23:32-36, and Luke 19:43, 44, also 
refer to the calamities foretold in Daniel 9:26, as will be 
clearly seen by turning to those passages. 

The following then is the meaning we derive from 
the text of the A. V. and R. V.: That the people of a 
“prince” ( i . e ., a leader or commander), who was to 
come with arms against Judea and Jerusalem, would 
utterly destroy both the city and the temple; that the 
destruction thereof should be as if a flood had swept 
everything away; that to the end there should be war; 
and that “desolations” for the land and city were 
definitely ‘ ‘ determined. ’ ’ 

Thus the entire prophecy of the Seventy Weeks em¬ 
braces in its scope the rebuilding of the city and the 
temple, and the final destruction of both. It covers the 
stretch of time from the restoration of the people to their 
land and city in the first year of Cyrus, down to their 
dispersion by the Romans among all the nations of the 
world. 

In this connection we would again call the reader’s 
attention to the striking agreement between this part of 
the prophecy and the word of God to Isaiah (Chap. 6: 
9-13). 

Who Is “The Prince That Shall Come”? 

At this point we are confronted with a question which 
very seriously affects the interpretation of the proph¬ 
ecy. Taking the words according to their apparent and 
obvious meaning (which should always be done except 
where there is a compelling reason to the contrary) it 
would seem quite clear that “the prince,” whose peo¬ 
ple were to destroy the city and the sanctuary, was 
Titus, the son of the then emperor Vespasian, he (Titus) 
being the “prince” or “leader” who was in actual com¬ 
mand of those armies at the time. In fact we are bold 
to say that the words of the prophecy, which are the 


76 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


words of God sent directly from heaven to Daniel, do not 
reasonably admit of any other interpretation. Nor, so 
far as we are aware, was any other meaning ever put 
upon them until within recent years, and then only by 
those belonging to a particular “school” of interpreta¬ 
tion. According to the “school” referred to, the words 
“the prince that shall come” do not mean the prince 
who did come, and whose armies fulfilled this prophecy 
by destroying the city and the temple, but they mean 
some other “prince,” who in fact has not yet come, and 
who (of course) could have nothing whatever to do with 
the subject of the passage, to wit, the destruction of the 
city and the temple. 

According to the view we are now considering, the 
passage is taken to mean that there is a “prince” who 
is to “come” at some unknown time yet future, which 
prince will be of the same nationality as the people (the 
Roman armies) by whom the city and the Sanctuary 
were to be destroyed. It is further assumed, and taught 
with much confidence, that this “coming prince” will 
be in league with Antichrist, if indeed he be not Anti¬ 
christ himself. This is a very radical idea, one which 
changes the entire meaning of this basic prophecy, and 
affects the interpretation of all prophecy. It transfers 
the main incidents of the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks 
from Christ to Antichrist, and removes them bodily 
from the distant past to the uncertain future, thus sep¬ 
arating them far from all connection with the period of 
seventy weeks to which God assigns them. This man¬ 
ner of dealing with Scripture is, so far as our expe¬ 
rience goes, without parallel or precedent in the field of 
exegesis. Is it sound and sober interpretation of Scrip¬ 
ture, or is it playing pranks with prophecy? 

For, with all due and proper respect for those who 
hold this view, we are bound to say that it does the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


77 


greatest possible violence to words which are not at all 
obscure or of uncertain meaning. There is no conceiva¬ 
ble reason why any prince ( i. e., commander) should be 
mentioned in this passage except the one whose armies 
were to accomplish the destruction of the city and tem¬ 
ple, that being the subject of the passage. The words 
are appropriate to convey one meaning and one only. 
It is simply unthinkable that the destroying agency 
would be identified by reference to some prince who 
was not to come upon the scene for several thousand 
years, or that the Romans of the first century could be 
called his “people.’’ Nor would anyone who possessed 
the slightest understanding of the use of language em¬ 
ploy the words of the text in order to convey the infor¬ 
mation that the people, by whom the city was to be de¬ 
stroyed, would be of the same nationality as some 
1 1 prince’’ who was to * 1 come” (without saying whence, 
or whither, or for what) at some remote and unspecified 
time. And finally, even if it were supposable that such 
an utterly foreign subject as a prince, who was to come 
many centuries after the event prophesied, would be 
lugged into such a passage, then it would have been 
made to say—not “the people of the prince that shall 
come shall destroy the city,” but—that a prince of the 
people who destroyed the city shall come. 

Furthermore, we know that the armies of prince 
Titus did destroy the city and temple, and that to this 
day the seven-branched candlestick, which was carried 
in his triumphal procession, is sculptured on the arch 
which was erected at Rome in his honor. But we know 
nothing of any Roman prince who is to “come” (come 
where?) in the future. The term “Roman” pertains to 
nothing now except the papacy. 

And besides all this, if any “prince” should hereafter 
“come” (it matters not whence or whither) it could not 



78 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


properly be said that the people who destroyed Jerusa¬ 
lem in A. D. 70 were his people. The plain and simple 
words of the prophecy are ‘ ‘ the people of the prince who 
shall come.” Those words can only mean the man who 
was the prince or leader of the people at the time they 
destroyed the city and temple. Those Roman legions 
and auxiliaries were the people of prince Titus. But in 
no sense are they the people of some prince who may 
arise several thousand vears later. The French armies 
which invaded Russia were the people of Napoleon their 
commander; but in no proper sense were they the peo¬ 
ple of General Foch. They were all dead long before 
he was born. 

This prophecy has nothing whatever to do with any 
future Roman prince; nor is there, so far as we are 
aware, any ground for saying that a Roman prince will 
arise to play a part in the time of the end of this age. 
During the centuries that have now elapsed such 
changes have taken place that no potentate of the ap¬ 
proaching end times could be described as the prince of 
the people by whom Jerusalem was destroyed. As re¬ 
gards Antichrist, the indications are that he will be a 
Jew, not a Roman. 

The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks is manifestly an 
account, given beforehand, of the second period of the 
national existence of the Jewish people. They were to 
last as a nation only long enough to fulfil the Scriptures , 
and to accomplish the supreme purpose of God, in 
bringing forth the Messiah, and putting Him to death. 
The time allotted for this was 490 years. This being 
accomplished, God had no further use for Israel. His 
dealings thenceforth were to be with another people, 
that “holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9), composed of all who 
believe the gospel, and who “receive” the One Who 
was rejected by “His own” (John 1:11-13). 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


79 


Yet the predicted judgment did not immediately fol¬ 
low; for Christ prayed for His murderers in His dying 
hour, “Father forgive them; for they know not what 
they do” (Lu. 23-34). In answer to that prayer the 
full probationary period of forty years (A. D. 30 to 
A. D. 70) was added to their national existence, during 
- which time repentance and remission of sins was 
preached to them in the Name of the crucified and risen 
One, and tens of thousands of Jews were saved. 

The perfect accuracy of Scripture is seen in this, that 
while it was definitely stated that the six things of Dan¬ 
iel 9:24 were to be accomplished within the determined 
period of seventy weeks, and while the destruction of 
the re-built city and temple were also predicted, that 
event is not among the things ivhich were to happen 
within the seventy iveeks. 

In this connection it is important to observe that, 
while the six predicted events of verse 24 were to hap¬ 
pen within the measured period of seventy weeks, and 
the events of verse 27 were to happen in the midst of 
the last week of the seventy, the time of the predicted 
judgments is not specified. Thus the prophecy left room 
for the exercise of mercy even to that evil generation. 


CHAPTER VI. 

The Seventieth Week 

“And he shall con-firm the covenant with many for one 
week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the saci'i- 
fice and the oblation to cease” (Dan. 9:27). 

We come now to the last verse of the prophecy, which 
verse is of surpassing interest and importance. It has 
to do specifically with the seventieth week of the proph¬ 
ecy. The expiration of 69 weeks brought us “unto 
Christ,” but not to His crucifixion, nor to that which 
is the great subject of all prophecy, “the sufferings of 
the Christ” (1 Pet. 1:11). Particularly it should be 
kept in mind that the six things of Daniel 9:24 depended 
for their accomplishment upon His atoning death, 
His resurrection, and His ascension into heaven. All 
these events were “after the threescore and two weeks.” 

When Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ in 
glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, they “spake of 
His exodus which He should accomplish at Jerusalem” 
(Lu. 9:31). His “exodus” or “way out” of this world 
was the consummation of the purposes of God, the 
climax of all prophecy, the supreme event of all the ages. 
Thereby He accomplished eternal redemption, opened 
a fountain for sin and for uncleanness, sealed the ever¬ 
lasting covenant, and set aside forever the sacrifices ap¬ 
pointed by the law. 

The first part of Daniel 9:27, quoted at the head of 
this chapter, is quite clear except for the words “for 
one week, ’’ which will be explained later on. The mean¬ 
ing of the clause (apart from those three words) is, 
we believe, easily discerned in the light of the New 
Testament Scriptures. To “confirm” the new covenant 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 81 

(Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:6-13, and 10:1-18), that is, to 
make it sure, was the great purpose for which the Son 
of God came into the world in the body of flesh pre¬ 
pared for Him (Heb. 10:5). Moreover, it was by His 
death as a sacrifice for sin that He displaced and abol¬ 
ished the sacrifices of the law, thus causing them to 
cease. God had had “no pleasure” in these because they 
“could never take away sins,” whereas “it pleased the 
Lord to bruise Him,” making “His soul an offering for 
sin” (Isa. 53:10). 

If we take the pronoun “He” as relating to “the 
Messiah” mentioned in the preceding verse, then we 
find in the New Testament Scriptures a perfect fulfil¬ 
ment of the passage, and a fulfilment, moreover, which 
is set forth in the most conspicuous way. That pronoun 
must, in our opinion, be taken as referring to Christ, 
because (a) the prophecy is all about Christ, and this is 
the climax of it; (b) Titus did not make any covenant 
with the Jews; (c) there is not a word in Scripture 
about any future “prince” making a covenant with 
them. Other reasons in support of this conclusion will 
appear later on. But the foregoing are sufficient. 

There are three points in the passage we are now 
studying, and each of them is completely fulfilled in the 
inspired accounts of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ 
given in the New Testament. Those three points are: 
(1) confirming the covenant with many; (2) what 
happened in the midst of the week; (3) causing the sac¬ 
rifice and the oblation to cease. We will briefly examine 
these three points in order. 

1. Confirming the covenant with many. We ignore 
for the present the words “for one week,” which words 
would seem to limit the duration of the “covenant” to 
the short period of seven years. It will suffice for now 
to say that there is no preposition “for” in the text, 


82 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


and that the words “one week” do not refer to the dura¬ 
tion of the covenant, but to the time when it was con¬ 
firmed; for that covenant was confirmed by the shed¬ 
ding of the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14-20) in “the one 
week,” the last of the seventy which had been “deter¬ 
mined.” This will be clearly shown later on. 

As to the fulfilment of this important feature of the 
prophecy we have a clear announcement from the Lord’s 
own lips. For when, in the institution of His memorial 
supper, He gave the cup to His disciples, He uttered 
these significant words, “This is My blood of the new 
covenant, shed for many for the remission of sins” 
(Mat. 26:28). In these words we find four things which 
agree with the prophecy: 1st, the One who was to con¬ 
firm the covenant, Christ; 2d, “the covenant” itself; 
3rd, that which “confirmed” the covenant, the blood of 
Christ; 4th, those who receive the benefits of the cove¬ 
nant, the “many.” The identification is complete; for 
the words correspond perfectly with those of the proph¬ 
ecy, “He shall confirm the covenant with many” There 
could not be a more perfect agreement. 

It is to be noted in this connection that the prominent 
feature of the new covenant is the forgiveness of sins 
(Jer. 31:34; Heb. 10:1-18). Hence the significance of 
the Lord’s words, ‘ 1 for the remission of sins. ’’ His mis¬ 
sion in coming into the world was to “save His people 
from their sins” (Mat. 1:21). That is the prominent 
feature of His gospel (Lu. 24:47; Acts 10:43). 

It is further to be noted that, although the promise of 
the New Covenant was made to the entire “house of 
Israel and house of Judah,” not all of them entered in¬ 
to its benefits. Those who rejected Christ were “de¬ 
stroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:23). They 
were, as branches, “broken off” (Rom. 11:17). We see 
then the accuracy of Scripture in the words of the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 83 

prophecy “with many,” and those of the Lord Jesus 
“shed for many.” 

This use of the word “many” is found in other like 
Scriptures. Thus, in a similar prophecy it is written: 
“My righteous Servant shall justify many” (Isa. 53: 
11). Again, “And many of the children of Israel shall 
he turn to the Lord their God” (Lu. 1:16). This was 
said by the same heavenly messenger, Gabriel, when he 
announced to Zacharias the birth of a son. And yet 
again—this time from the lips of Simeon—“This Child 
is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel” 
(Lu. 2:34). And yet once more, in the words of the 
Lord Jesus, “For the Son of man came not to be min¬ 
istered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ran¬ 
som for many” (Mat. 20:28). In each of these Scrip¬ 
tures the word “many” applies to those who receive by 
faith the benefits of the New Covenant which Christ 
made sure by the shedding of His blood upon the cross. 

2. In the midst of the week. These words are im¬ 
portant in helping to identify the fulfilment of the 
prophecy. Considering the supreme importance of the 
death of Christ, upon which depended not only the six 
predictions of verse 24, but all the purposes of God; 
and considering also that the prophecy gives the time 
when the Lord’s ministry as “the Messiah” was to be¬ 
gin, we should expect to find in it a statement when His 
ministry was to end by His being “cut off.” This in¬ 
formation is given in the words “in the midst of the 
week,” that is the seventieth week. The expiration of 
69 weeks brought us “unto the Messiah.” Only “one 
week” of the seventy remained; and in the midst of that 
last week He ivas crucified. 

We have here (as already indicated) a valuable means 
of checking up our conclusions and testing their cor¬ 
rectness. For, as has been often pointed out since very 


84 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


early times, the Gospel of John contains information by 
which it appears that the ministry of Christ lasted three 
and a half years. In fact Eusebius, a Christian writer 
of the fourth century, is quoted as saying; “It is re¬ 
corded in history that the whole time of our Saviour’s 
teaching and working miracles was three years and a 
half, which is half a week. This, John the evangelist 
will represent (i. e. will make known) to those who crit¬ 
ically attend to his Gospel.” 

Thus the length of our Lord’s ministry, as disclosed 
by the Gospel of John (half a week), strikingly con¬ 
firms the prophecy, which gives 69 weeks unto the be¬ 
ginning of the Lord’s ministry, and fixes the ending 
thereof “in the midst of the week” following. 

3. He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. 
No one will dispute that, when Christ suffered and died 
on the cross, thus offering “one sacrifice for sins for¬ 
ever,” He then and there caused the sacrifices and obla¬ 
tions of the law to cease as a divine appointment. Even 
when in full vigor they were but the shadows of that 
perfect and all-sufficient sacrifice which He, as the 
Lamb foreordained before the foundation of the world, 
was to offer in due time. Hence they were completely 
displaced when Christ, through the eternal Spirit, of¬ 
fered Himself without spot to God. 

Neither can there be any question that the removal 
of those sacrifices (which could never take away sins) 
was a great thing in the eyes of God, a thing so great 
and well-pleasing to Him as to warrant its having a 
prominent place in this grand Messianic prophecy. In 
proof of this important point we direct the attention of 
our readers to Hebrews, chapters 8, 9 and 10. In those 
chapters the Spirit of God puts before us in great de¬ 
tail, and with solemn emphasis, the setting aside of the 
Old Covenant, with all that related to it, the “worldly 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 85 

\ 

sanctuary,’’ the priesthood, the “ordinances of divine 
service/ * and particularly those many sacrifices (by 
which a remembrance of sins was made every year); and 
He puts before us also the confirming of the New Cove¬ 
nant, with its heavenly sanctuary, its spiritual priest¬ 
hood, its sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, all based 
upon the atonement of Christ. The great subject of this 
part of Hebrews, as of the prophecy of the Seventy 
Weeks, is the Cross. 

Chapter 10 of Hebrews dwells largely upon the sac¬ 
rifices which were “offered by the law,” emphasizing 
the imperfection and insufficiency thereof to purge the 
conscience of the offerers, and declaring that, for that 
reason, God had no pleasure in them. It was because 
of this (“wherefore”) that the Son of God said, “Lo 1 
come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me) to 
do Thy will, 0 God” (v. 7). This relates the passage 
directly to the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, which 
has for its subject the coming of Christ into the world 
and the purpose for which He came. How full of sig¬ 
nificance then, and how conclusive for the purpose of 
our present study, are the words which follow! 

“Above when He said, Sacrifice and offering and 
burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldst not, 
neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the 
law; then said He, Lo, I come to do Thy will, 0 God. 
He talceth away the first, that He may establish the sec¬ 
ond” (Heb. 10:8, 9). 

This is the climax of the whole matter. “He taketh 
away ,y those sacrifices and oblations wherein God had 
no pleasure! What perfect agreement with the words 
of the prophecy, “He shall cause the sacrifice and obla¬ 
tion to cease”! And when we find, both in the proph¬ 
ecy (Dan. 9:27) and in Hebrews 10, that this setting 
aside of the sacrifices of the law is connected directly 


86 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


with the confirming of the New Covenant, we are com¬ 
pelled to conclude that the passage in Hebrews is the 
inspired record of the fulfilment of this prophecy. 

We ask careful attention to the fact that in Hebrews 
10:12 it is expressly stated that Christ took away the 
sacrifices of the law when He offered Himself as the 
“one sacrifice for sins forever,” ere He “sat down on 
the right hand of God.” Those sacrifices, therefore, 
ceased to exist in God’s contemplation from the moment 
Christ died. From that moment God regards no long¬ 
er the sacrifices of the law. It is impossible, therefore, 
that the words “he shall cause the sacrifice and obla¬ 
tion to cease” could refer to any event subsequent to 
the crucifixion of Christ. To this we purpose to re¬ 
turn. But at this point we would simply raise the 
question, where shall we look for a fulfilment of the 
prophecy, if we reject that recorded in Hebrews 10:9 ? 

“For One Week” 

We come now to the words “for one week” (Dan. 9: 
27), which have been the means of leading astray some 
who have undertaken to explain this prophecy. 

Manifestly those words are utterly inconsistent with 
the view that the covenant spoken of is the New Cove¬ 
nant, since that is “everlasting” (Heb. 13:20). But 
it is hardly conceivable that any covenant—particularly 
one of such importance as to have a prominent place in 
this prophecy—would be confirmed for such a brief 
term as seven years. Even if we suppose, as some do 
(though with no proof whatever to support them), 
that the prophecy refers to some agreement which the 
supposed “prince” of the future will supposedly make 
with “many” Jews, permitting them to resume the 
long abolished sacrifices of the law, can we conceive 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 87 

that such a covenant would be limited to the insignifi¬ 
cant term of seven years? 

In view of the difficulty presented by the words “for 
one week/’ we consulted a Hebrew scholar, asking him 
if there were any preposition “for” in the original text, 
or anything to imply it. His reply was that there is no 
“for” in the text, nor anything to imply it. This in¬ 
formation removed the chief difficulty; but it left still 
unsettled the meaning to be given to the words “one 
week.” That further information, however, was sup¬ 
plied by the same Hebrew scholar (formerly a Jewish 
Rabbi, but now a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ), 
who gave us the English rendering of the Septuagint 
Version of Daniel 9:27. This Septuagint version is a 
translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, made 
nearly three hundred years before the birth of Christ. 
It has a claim on our acceptance as an authoritative ver¬ 
sion, because our Lord and His apostles frequently 
quoted from it. 

Particularly do we ask attention to the fact that 
when our Lord, in His prophecy on Mt. Olivet, quoted 
from the latter part of Daniel 9:27, He used the words 
of the Septuagint version , namely, “the abomination of 
desolation” (Mat. 24:15). Therefore we have a special 
warrant for following the sense of the Septuagint. We 
give the English translation of the entire verse as it 
appears in the Septuagint. 

“And ONE WEEK SHALL ESTABLISH THE COVENANT 

with many/ and in the midst of the week my sacrifice 
and drink-offering shall he taken away; and upon the 
temple shall he the abomination of desolation; and at 
the end of the time {the age) an end shall he put to 
the desolation.” 

From this wording the meaning of the first clause is 
easily grasped. It is a common form of speech to say 


88 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


for example, “the year 1776 established the independ¬ 
ence of the American colonies”; “the year 1918 re¬ 
stored Alsace and Lorraine to France,” &c., which is a 
figurative way of saying that such or such an event took 
place at the time specified. This form of expression is used 
when it is desired to call special attention to the year, or 
other period, in which a certain event occurred. So here, 
the previous verses having accounted for 69 of the 
total of 70 weeks, it was most appropriate to emphasize 
that last week; and especially so for the reason that the 
last week was not only to fulfil the six predictions of 
verse 24, but it was to be the climax of all the ages. 

The sense of the passage then is this: That the one 
remaining week would witness the confirming of the 
covenant (which could only mean the promised New 
Covenant) with the many; and that, in the midst of that 
last week, Christ would cause the entire system of sacri¬ 
fices appointed by the law to cease, by the offering of 
Himself as the all-sufficient sacrifice for sins. 

This gives to the last week of the seventy the impor¬ 
tance it should have, and which the prophecy as a whole 
demands, seeing that all the predictions of verse 24 de¬ 
pend upon the events of that last week. On the other 
hand, to make this last week refer to a paltry bargain 
between antichrist (or a supposed Roman prince) and 
some apostate Jews of the future, for the renewal (and 
that for a space of only seven years) of those sacrifices 
which God has long ago abolished forever , is to intrude 
into this great Scripture a matter of trifling importance, 
utterly foreign to the subject in hand , and to bring the 
entire prophecy to an absurdly lame and impotent 
conclusion. 

“My Sacrifice and Drink-Offering” 

In further elucidation of the sense of verse 27 we 
would call special attention to the words of the Sep- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 89 

tuagint version, “My sacrifice and drink-offering shall 
be taken away.” Before the death of Christ the sacri¬ 
fices of the law were God’s. But He would never call 
His the sacrifices which apostate Jews might institute 
under agreement with antichrist. This we deem to be 
conclusive. 

Subsequently to the first appearance of these papers 
we have had access to Dr. Wm. M. Taylor’s excellent 
book entitled Daniel The Beloved, in which the above 
rendering of verse 27 is confirmed. Dr. Taylor gives Dr. 
Cowle’s version of that verse, as follows: “One seven 
shall make the covenant effective to many. The middle 
of the seven shall make sacrifice and offerings to cease, ’ ’ 
etc. 

We quote also from Dr. Taylor’s comments, which 
afford confirmation of the conclusions we had already 
reached: 

“It is well known by those acquainted with chron¬ 
ology that Christ was born four years earlier than the 
first of the era which we call by His name. Therefore, 
at the year 26 A. D. our Lord would be really thirty 
years of age; and we know (Lu. 3 :23) that His baptism, 
or public manifestation to the people, took place when 
He ‘began to be about thirty years of age.’ 

“Further, at the end of half a seven of years, or in 
the middle of the heptad, Messiah, according to this pre¬ 
diction, was to cause the sacrifice and offerings to cease. 
Now, if we suppose this to refer to the fact that Christ’s 
death, being a real and proper sacrifice for sin, virtually 
abolished all those under the law, which were only typi¬ 
cal, we have here a date harmonizing with that of the 
Crucifixion. It is as near as possible demonstrable from 
the Gospel by John that our Saviour’s public ministry 
lasted three years and a half (see Robinson’s Harmony 
of the Gospels , Appendix ); and this is corroborated by 


90 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


the parable of the barren fig tree (Ln. 13:69) which 
seems to indicate that three years of special privilege to 
the Jews had run their course, and that a fourth, or a 
portion of a fourth, was to be given them. Here again, 
therefore, we have a coincidence of date between the pre¬ 
diction and the history. 

‘ ‘ The exposition we have given of this section of Dan¬ 
iel ’s prediction, and of the manner of its fulfilment, 
is fitted to stir the heart even of the most indifferent. 
For myself, I feel awed by the sense of the nearness of 
God, which comes over me when I read these verses and 
when I remember how they have been confirmed by the 
events of which Calvary was the scene. God is in this 
history of a truth. But let us not forget that it differs 
from ordinary history only that here we are permitted 
to read out of the Book of Divine purpose and pre¬ 
science; whereas in other cases that record is hidden 
from our eyes. God is in all history as really and as 
much as He was in this. How solemn, yet how reassur¬ 
ing also is the thought! ’ 9 

In view of all this, we would ask, how can any sober 
minded expositor of the Scriptures set aside the perfect 
and heart-satisfying fulfilment of this wonderful proph¬ 
ecy, so clearly to be seen in “the events of which Cal¬ 
vary was the scene,’’ and propose instead a contrived 
fulfilment, in a supposed covenant (whereof the Scrip¬ 
tures say not a word) between antichrist and the Jew¬ 
ish people of the last days, relating to the imagined re¬ 
vival of the long abolished sacrifices of the law? 

Therefore we conclude that the modern interpretation 
which takes Christ and the cross out of the last verse 
of the prophecy, where it reaches its climax, and puts 
antichrist and his imaginary doings into it, does vio¬ 
lence to the Scripture and serious wrong to the people 
of God. 


CHAPTER VII 

Are The Seventy Weeks Consecutive? 

The idea which we have discussed in our last chapter, 
namely that Daniel 9:27 refers not to Christ but to 
antichrist is usually coupled with another, also of a 
very radical sort, namely, that the 70th week of 
Gabriel’s prophecy does not come where we would nat¬ 
urally expect to find it, that is, immediately after the 
69th week, but that it is detached from the other 69, is 
separated from them by many centuries, is yet in the 
future, and will be found at the very end of this present 
age. The extent to which these ideas have found accept¬ 
ance in our day makes it a matter of importance to in¬ 
quire very carefully into the reasons that have been 
given in support thereof. 

We do not know just when or how these ideas sprang 
up. That is not, of course, a reason for rejecting them; 
for God is pleased from time to time to give new light 
from His Word. But it is a reason for subjecting them 
to a rigid scrutiny. This we have sought to do, and the 
result is we have come to the conclusion that, not only 
are they destitute of support in the Word of God, but 
they are directly contrary thereto. This we shall en¬ 
deavor to make clear. 

As regards the idea that verse 27 (Dan. 9) refers to 
antichrist, little more need be said. If the Scriptures 
which we have cited in a preceding chapter establish 
that the verse was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ 
when He died for our sins, His death having occurred 
“in the midst of the week” (which began with His 
anointing), then there is no need to show negatively that 
the passage does not await a fulfilment by antichrist, or 


92 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


other end-time potentate. Nevertheless the negative 
arguments are of value by way of corroboration. 

We point out, therefore, that in order to make the 
4 ‘he” of Daniel 9:27 refer to antichrist, it is necessary 
to make “the prince that shall come” of verse 26 to 
mean a future prince. We think we have already 
shown that this is absolutely inadmissible. But even 
if we make the unwarranted assumption that a future 
“prince” is referred to, still it is a question whether the 
pronoun “he” of verse 27 refers to him or to Christ. 
At this point all our previous evidences and arguments 
would come in to show that the pronoun must in any 
case be taken as referring to “the Messiah.” The ful¬ 
filment of the prophecy by Christ proves that the “He” 
refers to Him. 

But beside all this, there are insuperable obstacles in 
the way of the acceptance of the view we are discussing. 
For we are bound to reject any and every interpretation 
which is not supported by the Scriptures. And how is 
it in this case? There is not one word of proof in sup¬ 
port of any one of the following propositions, each and 
all of which must be proved ere the view in dispute can 
be considered established: (1) that a future Roman 
prince will make a covenant with many Jews; (2) that 
the supposed covenant will be for a term of one week; 
(3) that it will have for its purpose to permit the Jews 
to resume their ancient and long abolished temple sac¬ 
rifices; (4) that the supposed prince will break the 
supposed covenant in the midst of the week, and thus 
“cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease.” We repeat 
that we are bound to reject the interpretation referred 
to unless each and all these four propositions (which 
are involved in it) are established by evidence from 
the Word of God; and the fact is that there is not one 
word, of proof for any one of them. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 93 

Those who advance this interpretation commonly re¬ 
fer in support of it to Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 
2:3-9; and Revelation 13:3-15. But, without discussing 
those Scriptures, it is quite sufficient for our purpose 
to say that none of them makes the remotest allusion to 
any covenant between antichrist (or any other person¬ 
age) and the Jews. The interpretation we are discuss¬ 
ing has no basis whatever in the Scriptures. It is en¬ 
tirely a work of the imagination, resting upon nothing 
but improvable assumptions. 

We come now to the view, held and taught by many 
modern expositors of good repute, that the week which 
came next after the 69th week from the starting point, 
and which was in fact the 70 th actual week, as time is 
ordinarily reckoned, is not to be taken as the 70th week 
of the prophecy; but that the prophetic period is to be 
regarded as having been interrupted at the end of the 
69th week, “the clock of prophecy having stopped.” 
They hold that some period of seven years yet in the 
indefinite future is to be taken (when it comes) and 
added to the 69 weeks now past to make up the com¬ 
plete number of 70. Or, as it is sometimes expressed, 
this entire age of over 1900 years, comes in as a “par¬ 
enthesis” between the 69th and the 70th week of the 
prophetic period. We deem this view to be erroneous, 
and believe we can show clearly that it is not supported 
by, but is contrary to, the testimony of Scripture. We 
maintain that the 70th week of the prophecy occurred 
just where we would expect to find the 70th number of 
any series, and that is next after the 69th; or in other 
words that the 70th actual or historical week was also 
the 70th prophetic week. 

The idea that the 70th week of the prophecy is de¬ 
tached from its companions and is relegated to the dis¬ 
tant future, is a necessary corollary of the idea already 


94 THE SEVENTY WEEKS 

referred to, namely, that the “he” of verse 27 (Dan. 9) 
refers, not to Christ, but to a future antichrist. Mani¬ 
festly those two ideas stand or fall together; for if verse 
27 relates to Christ, then the last week followed im¬ 
mediately after the 69th; but if it relates to antichrist, 
or a coming Roman prince, then it is yet future. 

Therefore, all the facts and reasons we have given in 
proof that verse 27 speaks of Christ, and all the facts 
and reasons given to show that the prince that is to 
come of verse 26 was Titus, avail equally to prove that 
the 70th week joined directly on to the 69th. And con¬ 
versely, all the facts and reasons we are now about to 
set forth in proof that the 70th week was indeed one of 
the “seventy,” and not a detached and remote period, 
avail equally to prove that verse 27 refers to Christ. 

We would point out to begin with that the words 
“Seventy weeks are determined,” etc., are words of 
clear and certain meaning. They are just the words 
which would be used by one who wished to be under¬ 
stood as saying that, within the measure of 70 weeks, 
the six things specified in Daniel 9:24 would happen. 
If the speaker meant something very different, even 
that the specified things would not occur for more than 
two thousand years , then manifestly the words used by 
him could serve only to mislead those who trusted in 
them. 

Therefore again, as in the case of the clause, “the 
people of the prince that shall come,” we appeal first 
of all to the words themselves , which are the ~best evi¬ 
dence of their own meaning. 

Never since the world began has a described and ‘ 1 de¬ 
termined” measure of time, expressed in the way al¬ 
ways used for that purpose (that is, by stating the num¬ 
ber of time-units making up the complete measure) been 
treated according to the view we are now discussing. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 95 

Never has a specified number of time-units, making up 
a described stretch of time, been taken to mean anything 
but continuous or consecutive time-units. The Bible- 
usage in this regard will be shown presently. If, there¬ 
fore, the period of the “ seventy weeks” be an excep¬ 
tion to a rule so universal and so necessary, we should 
at least require of those who maintain that view such 
clear and convincing proof as to leave no room for 
doubt. 

But what do we find? There is no proof of any sort 
in support of the idea referred to; but, on the contrary, 
the 70th week of the prophecy is tied to the other 69 by 
at least seven unbreakable bands. Six are found in 
verse 24, and a seventh in verse 27. This will be shown 
later on. 

We ask careful attention to the following points: 

1. Where periods of time are given beforehand in 
the prophecies of the Bible they always mean that the 
time-units composing the period named are continuous. 
This must be so, else the prediction would serve only to 
deceive those who believed it. We have no other way of 
describing and limiting a period of time than by stat¬ 
ing the number of time-units (hours, days, months, or 
years) contained therein. It is therefore a necessary 
law of language that the time-units be understood as 
being connected together without a break. 

As a most pertinent example of this, let us consider 
the period of seventy years, with which the period of 
seventy weeks of years is so closely connected. God had 
foretold to Jeremiah that “after seventy years be ac¬ 
complished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform My 
good word toward you, in causing you to return to this 
place” (Jer. 29:10). From this word Daniel “under¬ 
stood the number of years whereof the word of the Lord 
came to Jeremiah the prophet”; and thereupon he set 


96 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


his face to seek the fulfilment of that promise. Have 
not we exactly the same reason to understand that the 
“seventy weeks” of years mean what they appear to 
mean, that Daniel had for understanding that the words 
“seventy years” were to be taken in accordance with 
their plain and obvious meaning? Surely the two in¬ 
stances are exactly alike. Can we even imagine such a 
thing as that God, in giving that promise to Jeremiah, 
intended that the seventieth year of the predicted period 
—that in which the captivity of Israel was to be re¬ 
turned—was to be separated from the other sixty-nine, 
and postponed for say five hundred years? Would not 
Daniel, in that case, have been miserably deceived 
through simply believing the Word of God? For ob¬ 
viously, everything depended upon that seventieth year, 
without which the period would not be one of “seventy 
years.” Take away the seventieth year, and a plain 
simple statement becomes utterly devoid of meaning. 
Have we then any more right or reason to imagine that 
the last week of the seventy—that in which the six great 
things of Daniel 9:24 were to be accomplished—is to be 
separated from the other sixty-nine, and postponed for 
a score of centuries? We submit to every candid mind 
that the two cases are exactly parallel, and that the 
same principle of interpretation must be applied to the 
seventy weeks of years, as to the seventy years. And 
the more so are we bound to apply the same principle 
of interpretation to both because there is manifestly an 
intended parallel between the seventy years which end¬ 
ed with the decree of Cyrus, and the seven times seventy 
years which began at that great event. For just as the 
ending of the captivity of Judah in the seventieth year 
was necessary ‘ 1 that the word of the Lord might be ful¬ 
filled,” so likewise the accomplishment of the six things 
predicted in Daniel 9:24 must take place in the seven- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 97 

tieth week of years, else the prophecy would utterly 
fail, and the word of the Lord would be falsified. That 
those six things did take place, one and all, in the sev¬ 
entieth consecutive week from the starting point of the 
prophetic period, is a fact which cannot be disputed. To 
this we will come later on. 

Furthermore, in every other case in Scripture where 
God has foretold the measure of time within which a 
specified thing was to happen, the time-measure so 
indicated was intended to be taken in its plain and or¬ 
dinary sense. We give some examples: 

The 430 years sojournings of Abraham’s posterity, 
whereof God had spoken to him (Gen. 15:13; Ex. 12; 
40; Gal. 3-17) were accomplished to a day (Ex. 12:41, 
42). 

The seven years of plenty and seven years of famine, 
which Joseph foretold, were fulfilled according to the 
plain meaning of the words (Gen. 45:6). 

The forty years wanderings of the Israelites in the 
wilderness, which God appointed as a punishment for 
their unbelief (Numb. 14:34), were forty consecutive 
years. 

But let us take a stronger illustration. Our Lord, in 
foretelling His own death, declared again and again that 
“the third day,” or “in three days,” or “after three 
days,” He would rise again. Those expressions all 
mean one and the same thing, and would never be taken 
in any sense but one. Suppose, however, that some in¬ 
genious person should now come forward with the idea 
that Christ did not rise from the dead on the third con¬ 
secutive day after His death, but that His resurrection 
is yet future; and suppose he should endeavor to make 
the words of Christ agree with this view by saying that 
the third day, on which He was to rise, did not follow 
immediately after the other two, but there was an un- 



98 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


mentioned “parenthesis” of about two thousand years 
in between, would he not have for his view as much 
foundation in the words of Scripture as those who would 
insert a “parenthesis” of two thousand years between 
the 69th and 70th week of Gabriel’s prophecy? 

In reply to this argument one might say—“But we 
have other proof that the third consecutive day was 
meant, in that Christ actually arose on the third consecu¬ 
tive day.” That fact does indeed help to show the mean¬ 
ing of the words “three days,” though it does not im¬ 
part the meaning to them; and likewise in the case we 
are considering, the meaning of the words “seventy 
weeks” is further established by the fact that the six 
things which were to take place within that period 
actually happened in the seventieth consecutive week 
from the starting point. 

We are bold, therefore, to lay it down as an absolute 
rule, admitting of no exceptions, that when a definite 
measure of time or space is specified by the number of 
time-units composing it, within which a certain event is 
to happen or a certain thing is to be found, the units of 
time or space which make up that measure are to be un¬ 
derstood as running continuously and successively. 
“Seventy years” would invariably mean seventy con¬ 
tinuous years; “seventy weeks” would mean seventy 
continuous weeks; “seventy miles” would mean seventy 
continuous miles. 

If, for example, one journeying along a road were in¬ 
formed that, within seventy miles from a given point he 
would come upon certain specified things, as a hill, a 
tower, a stream, a mill, and the like, there is manifestly 
but one sense in which he could understand the state¬ 
ment. Suppose in such a case that he should proceed on 
his way for 69 miles without meeting any of the speci¬ 
fied things, would he not confidently expect to find them 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 99 

in the one remaining mile of the 70? Suppose, however, 
he should traverse that mile without coming upon any 
of those things, would he not have a right to say he had 
been grossly and intentionally deceived? And would 
it set the matter right for the one who made the decep¬ 
tive statement to say that the 70th mile he had in mind 
did not join on the 69th, but was two thousand miles 
further on f We say the deception in such case would be 
intentional; for if one uses an expression which has a 
definite and well-settled meaning, but gives to it in his 
own mind a very different meaning, which he keeps to 
himself, he can have had no other purpose than to mis¬ 
lead those who might act upon his words. 

2. We have thus far appealed only to the plain and 
obvious meaning of the words “seventy weeks are de¬ 
termined upon thy people and upon thy holy city to fin¬ 
ish the transgression,” etc. But there is much more in 
this prophecy to bind the last week of the seventy firmly 
to the other sixty-nine. The 69 weeks brought us (i unto 
the Messiah,” but not to His death, by which Israel 
“finished the transgression.” In order that there should 
be not the slightest uncertainty as to this, the prophecy 
says, “And after the three-score and two weeks shall 
Messiah be cut off.” Thus the 69 weeks are nothing, 
except years which must elapse—a blank space of time, 
—whereas the 70th week is everything to the purpose 
of fulfilling the six predictions of verse 24. If then, we 
know when the Messiah was cut off, we know when the 
six things of verse 24 were accomplished. And we do 
know, both by the words of the prophecy, and also by the 
information given in the Gospel according to John, that 
Christ was crucified within the “week” (seven years) 
following His anointing and manifestation to Israel. 
We know, in other words, that He was “cut off” in the 
seventieth week counting in the ordinary way from the 


> > > 



100 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


given starting paint. And this would be true regard¬ 
less of what decree be taken as that starting point. This 
double witness, that of the prophecy itself and that of 
the Gospel-records, puts the matter beyond all doubt. 
By means thereof we know to a certainty that none of 
the six great things foretold in verse 24 happened with¬ 
in the sixty-nine weeks, but that each and all of them 
came to pass within the week which came next there¬ 
after, that is to say in the seventieth consecutive week 
from the starting point. Nothing could be better estab¬ 
lished upon clear scriptural evidence than this. 

This matter, however, is important enough to war¬ 
rant our dwelling a while longer upon it. In view of 
the facts stated above no one will or can deny that the 
crucifixion occurred in the 70th week from the start¬ 
ing point of the prophecy. The proof of this is abso¬ 
lute. It only remains then to point out that the cru¬ 
cifixion of Christ accomplished the predictions of verse 
24. That also is, we should suppose, a fact which is not 
reasonably open to dispute. An attempt, however, has 
been made to escape the force of the evidence of verse 
24 by saying that it refers to the time when Israel as a 
nation will enter into the benefits of the death and resur¬ 
rection of Christ. But the words of verse 24 will not 
bear such an interpretation. They plainly declare that, 
within the measure of 70 weeks of the history of Dan¬ 
iel's people and city, certain things would take place. 
The verse says not a word about the time when the Jew¬ 
ish nation should enter into the benefit of the atone¬ 
ment. It speaks definitely of the time of the happening 
of the specified events, quite regardless of whether the 
Israelites as a nation should ever enter into the benefits 
thereof. A new lease of existence was about to be given 
to the nation and city, and Daniel was informed, to his 
great distress, that 70 weeks of that renewed existence 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 101 

to people and city were allotted for them “to finish the 
transgression/’ etc. 

Take for instance the words “to make reconciliation 
(or atonement) for iniquity.” There can be no uncer¬ 
tainty as to the meaning of this. To deny that recon¬ 
ciliation (or atonement) was fully and finally completed 
when Christ died and rose again would be to deny the 
very foundation of Christianity. Moreover, the true 
Israel—the believing part of Daniel’s people —did enter 
immediately into the benefits of the atonement. Be¬ 
yond all question, then, the 70th week of the prophecy 
was that in which Christ died and rose and ascended 
into heaven. 

3. The case is, however, still further strengthened 
by the corroborating evidence of Daniel 9:27. We have 
found a perfect fulfilment of this verse (confirming the 
covenant with many, and causing the ancient system of 
offerings to cease) in the atoning death of the Lord 
Jesus Christ; and we have shown that this was a work 
supremely great and glorious in the eyes of God. But 
more than this, the things predicted in verse 27 were 
the very means whereby those predicted in verse 24 were 
to be accomplished. 

Thus the first and last parts of the prophecy are 
bound firmly together. It is impossible to detach the 
70th week from the other 69 without destroying the 
prophecy as a whole. For if the 70th consecutive week 
from the starting point was not the 70th of the prophet¬ 
ic period , then none of the six predicted things came to 
pass within that period. In that view they all happened 
in an unmentioned gap between the 69 (which brought 
us “unto the Messiah”) and the 70th which is yet fu¬ 
ture. Thus, according to this view, the prophecy has 
been completely falsified. 

4. God has given a test whereby His people are to 


102 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


prove the sayings of one who claims to be a prophet of 
the Lord. For it is written that, if the things predicted 
by the prophet “follow not nor come to pass, that is 
the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the 
prophet hath spoken it presumptuously” (Deut. 18: 
21; see also John 14:29). Tested by this rule, the 
prophecy of the seventy weeks must be interpreted ac¬ 
cording to its plain and ordinary sense, else those who 
looked for the fulfilment of it in its time would have 
been fully justified in rejecting it as the thing which 
the Lord had not spoken. 

Why The Seventy Weeks Are Divided Into Three 

Parts 

The fact that the last week is mentioned separately is 
often referred to as if it afforded ground for postpon¬ 
ing it to a future era. But that circumstance affords no 
reason whatever for inserting a period of time, long or 
short, between the 69th and 70th weeks. The message 
of the angel also makes separate mention of the first 
“seven weeks” from the rest. But no one seems to have 
seen in that circumstance a reason for inserting a few 
millenniums between those two parts of the seventy 
weeks. Why then apply a different rule to the last week, 
the most important of all the seventy, and without which 
the period would have no significance ? 

Likewise the Lord Jesus mentioned “the third day” 
(after His death) separately from the other two. But 
does that afford any reason for inserting say a century 
or two between the second day and the third ? 

Surely, the transcendent importance of the events of 
that “third day,” and of those of the final “week” of 
the seventy, affords reason enough for their separate 
mention. 

The entire period is laid out in this way: The first 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 103 

portion consisted of seven sevens of “troublous times,” 
within which the rebuilding of the temple and of the 
city, with its street and wall, were to he accomplished; 
then follow sixty-two sevens to the manifestation of 
Christ to Israel, that is to the time when Jesus of Naz¬ 
areth was “ anointed with the Holy Ghost and with pow¬ 
er,” and was publicly proclaimed to all the people of 
Israel by John the Baptist; and then comes the seven¬ 
tieth and last week, “in the midst” of which “Messiah 
was cut off,” thus accomplishing God’s great purpose 
in redemption, and fulfilling all the things predicted in 
verse 24. 

The middle period of sixty-two weeks, within which 
no prophetic events were to occur, coincides with that 
silent stretch of years between Malachi and John the 
Baptist—between “the word of the Lord to Israel by 
Malachi” and the day when “the word of God came un¬ 
to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness” (Lu. 3: 
2)—a period during which there was no voice from God 
to His people, and no happenings in which His hand is 
seen working in their affairs. 

It is sometimes attempted to justify the detaching 
and postponing of the seventieth week of Daniel by refer¬ 
ence to the fact that when, in the synagogue at Naza¬ 
reth, the Lord read from Isaiah 61, He stopped in the 
very midst of a passage (the next words being, “and the 
day of vengeance”), and said, “This day is this Scrip¬ 
ture fulfilled in your ears,” thus implying that the 
part He did not read was yet future (Lu. 4:16-21). But 
it needs no great discernment to see that there is a wide 
difference between the two cases. For, in the first place, 
Isaiah had not said that the matters foretold by him 
were to happen within a certain measure of time. He 
said nothing at all as to that; whereas the time when the 
specified events were to take place is the very essence 


104 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


of the prophecy of the seventy weeks. But what is 
equally important, we have the word of the Lord Jesus 
declaring (or at least implying) that only so much of 
Isaiah’s prophecy as He had read in their ears was ful¬ 
filled at that time. But we have no word or hint from 
Him, or from any source to which we should give heed, 
to the effect that the seventieth week of Daniel is yet 
in the future. 

The Overspreading of Abominations (Dan. 9:27) 

We come now to the last part of Daniel 9:27, which, 
as given in our A. V., reads thus: “And for the over¬ 
spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, 
even until the consummation, and that determined, shall 
be poured upon the desolate” ( marg . desolator). 

These words are admittedly obscure. Nevertheless, 
even without help from other translations, it is at least 
clear that the main prediction here is that the city and 
temple were to be made a desolation, and that the deso¬ 
lation was to be for a protracted period —“even until 
the consummation” (or end). Moreover it is also im¬ 
plied that at the end there should be restoration for the 
city: and that, at the time of the end, that which had 
been “determined” was to be “poured upon the desola¬ 
tor.” This last prediction points to the outpouring of 
God’s wrath upon the destroying agencies, as foretold in 
detail in the Book of Revelation (see Rev. 11:18, &c.). 

This portion of the prophecy was repeated in sub¬ 
stance, and in much plainer language, by the Lord Jesus 
in His Olivet discourse, as reported in Luke 21. He 
there speaks of “the days of vengeance” (which corre¬ 
sponds to the words “he shall make it desolate”), and He 
further declares that “Jerusalem shall be trodden under 
foot of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


105 


fulfilled” (Lu. 21:22, 24); which corresponds with the 
words, “even until the consummation” (or end). 

We would also call attention to a parallel between 
verses 26 and 27 (of Dan. 9). The first part of verse 
26 foretells that after the threescore and two weeks 
Messiah shall be cut off; and the first part of verse 27 
contains the parallel prediction; “And He shall con¬ 
firm the covenant with many,” “and in the midst of the 
week He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. ’ ’ 
The second part of each verse speaks of the desolations 
of the city and sanctuary. This parallel affords further 
confirmation of the correctness of our reading of the 
prophecy. 

The words “for the overspreading of abominations” 
are very obscure, and many suggestions as to their mean¬ 
ing have been offered. We shall not discuss these, for 
the reason that the Septuagint translation gives a clear 
rendering, and our Lord’s adoption of it puts the au¬ 
thoritative stamp of His approval upon it. According 
to that version “the abomination of desolation” was to 
be upon (or to come against) the temple, that is, for its 
destruction. In other words there was to come an agen¬ 
cy or force (which God terms an “abomination”) which 
was to make the place a 11 desolation. ’ ’ 

The Lord Jesus Christ used the same expression when, 
in warning His disciples of the approaching destruction 
of Jerusalem by the armies of Titus, He said: “When 
ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, 
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place 
(whoso readeth, let him understand), then let them 
which be in Judea flee into the mountain,” etc. 

This reference by our Lord to the last verse of the 
Seventy Weeks’ prophecy is a connecting link between 
that Scripture and His own prophecy on Mt. Olivet. 


106 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


The great value of this connecting link will appear later 
on. 

The word rendered “abomination” means, according 
to the Hebrew and Greek lexicons, anything that is pe¬ 
culiarly loathsome or detestable. Hence it is sometimes 
used of an idol. But this is a secondary meaning, and 
it does not appear to be used in that sense in the New 
Testament. In Luke 16:15 it is applied to the covetous¬ 
ness of the Pharisees; in Titus 1:16 it is applied to those 
who deny God in their works; in Rev. 21:8 and 27 it is 
also applied to persons who do wickedly. Hence there 
is nothing either in Daniel 9 :27 or in Matthew 24:15 to 
warrant the idea that those prophecies speak of idol- 
worship being set up in some Jewish temple. Moreover 
Christ had disowned the temple at Jerusalem (Mat. 23: 
38) calling it “your house”; and henceforth it is not 
recognized as the House of God. Much less will recog¬ 
nition be given to a temple such as may be put up by 
the apostate Zionists. On the other hand, the Word of 
God makes it quite plain, as we hope to show later on, 
that the “abomination,” which was to make the city and 
sanctuary a “desolation,” was the army of Titus, “the 
people of the prince that shall come.” 

We have now completed our examination, clause by 
clause, of the wonderful prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. 
We have found—and without going beyond the Scrip¬ 
tures for our proofs—a clear and satisfactory meaning 
for every statement, a meaning which is consistent with 
the scope and design of the prophecy as a whole. That 
prophecy has to do with the greatest of all subjects, the 
coming of Christ to Israel, and His rejection and cruci¬ 
fixion by Israel, with the marvellous consequences of His 
sacrifice for sins, and His victory over cteath and the 
grave. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 107 

We have based nothing upon conjecture or surmise, 
and have not found it necessary to appeal to systems of 
chronology (which are admittedly defective and uncer¬ 
tain) nor to rely upon any human authorities. 

Moreover, the evidence produced in support of our 
conclusions is of such a simple sort that “the common 
people” can easily understand it and appreciate the 
force thereof. 

And finally, inasmuch as the proofs advanced herein 
are all taken from the Scriptures and the passages are 
cited, the reader has it in his power to bring all our con¬ 
clusions to the test of Scripture, and this it is his respon¬ 
sibility to do. On the other hand (and we attach much 
importance to this) the current interpretations, which 
fix the starting point of the Seventy Weeks at a date 
later than the decree of Cyrus, are each and all based 
upon some chronological scheme, built up from heathen 
traditions, obscure historical records, guesses at eclipses, 
and astronomical calculations, which the ordinary reader 
has no means whatever for verifying. 

The Decree of Cyrus Again 

In concluding this part of our study we would again 
call attention to that great historical landmark, the de¬ 
cree of King Cyrus, which stands, by God’s express ap¬ 
pointment, between two prophetic eras, and marks the 
ending of the one and the beginning of the other. The 
first era was the seventy years of “desolation,” where¬ 
by the people were punished for their “transgression” 
against the law and the prophets. The other was seventy 
times seven years, within which they were ‘ ‘ to finish the 
transgression” by the rejection of the gospel of the 
Kingdom, and by crucifying Him who came bringing 
the good tidings and publishing peace (Isa. 52:7; Acts 
10:36). 



108 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


It was indeed an extraordinary decree. For first it 
was plainly foretold by Isaiah, by whom also the name 
of the monarch who was to make it was given; second, 
when the time was come for ‘‘the going forth” thereof, 
that monarch became the sole ruler of the world; and 
third, God Himself stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to 
make the decree, and to send it forth by proclamation 
throughout all his dominions. 

It should be noted in this connection that inasmuch as 
God had said that the Seventy Weeks were to begin from 
“the going forth ,y of the commandment to restore and to 
build Jerusalem, the inspired record is careful to call 
our attention to the fact that Cyrus not only gave the 
word or commandment, but also ‘‘made a proclamation 
throughout all his kingdom” (Ezra 1:1). 

These facts all bear witness to the exceptional impor¬ 
tance of this epoch-making decree; and they also afford 
strong assurance that in it we have the true starting 
point for the prophetic period of seventy weeks. It was 
indeed a new start—like a resurrection from the dead— 
for Jerusalem and the people of Israel. It was the re¬ 
birth of the nation. 

Nothing in all the history of the chosen people, with 
the one exception of the Exodus from Egypt, is made so 
much of in the Old Testament as the return from Baby¬ 
lon. It was foretold by the prophets, sung by the psalm¬ 
ists, recorded by the historians. It stands out with such 
prominence upon the page of inspiration that it is a 
wonder how any students of Scripture should have 
failed to grasp its significance, and should have gone 
groping about for some other decree to serve as a start¬ 
ing point for that divinely given measuring line which 
was to reach “unto Messiah the Prince.” 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 109 

The Remainder of the Seventieth Week 

At this point in our exposition it appears desirable 
to notice a question which has arisen in the minds of 
some in regard to the fraction of the seventieth week 
remaining after the death, resurrection and ascension of 
Christ, whereby the predictions of verse 24 (of Daniel 
9), as well as those of the first half of verse 27, were ful¬ 
filled. To some it seems that our exposition leaves three 
and a half years not accounted for. 

If, however, we give attention to the terms of the 
prophecy we will clearly see that it affords no warrant 
for such a question. Those who ask it have evidently 
failed to take into consideration the fact that, in this 
prophecy, the unit of the time measure is a heptad, not 
a year. If we think of the Seventieth ‘‘Week” as a 
period of seven years, then it would indeed appear as if 
there were three years and over which were not ac¬ 
counted for by the exposition. But if, on the other 
hand, we take the prophecy as it is given, that is to 
say, in heptads, not years, then it will be clearly seen 
that all the seventy heptads are accounted for. For our 
exposition simply follows the terms of the prophecy, 
which are quite plain, and which locate certain events 
“in the midst of” the last heptad, but do not locate any 
events at the end thereof. If, therefore, any part of the 
determined period is unaccounted for, it is the prophecy 
itself, and not this writer’s exposition thereof, that is 
chargeable. But the fact is that the prophecy accounts 
first for sixty-nine heptads (which reached “unto the 
Messiah”) and then it accounts specifically for the one 
remaining heptad, and for the whole of it, by telling 
what was to happen in the midst thereof. Thus the 
prophecy (and the exposition which simply follows it) 
leaves no part of the prophetic period unaccounted for. 

Those who raise the above question must further as- 


110 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


sume that some predicted event was to mark the very 
end of the last “week” of the determined period. But 
a glance at the prophecy itself will suffice to show that 
such assumption is contrary to its terms. For by the 
express terms of the prophecy the climax of the things 
predicted in it—that is to say, the death, resurrection 
and ascension of Christ—was to take place, not at the 
end of the last week, hut “in the midst of the week” 
(v. 27). 

According to verse 24, which gives the substance of 
the prophecy in condensed form, six specified things 
were to happen within a measured period of seventy 
heptads (starting, as appears by verse 25, from the go¬ 
ing forth of the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem), 
which things required for their accomplishment that 
Christ should die, should rise again, and should ascend 
into heaven. From the fact that seventy heptads are 
mentioned it would be reasonable to infer that the full 
number (seventy) would be necessary to the complete 
fulfilment of the prophecy; and this inference is con¬ 
firmed and made a certainty by what immediately fol¬ 
lows; for the next verse disposes of sixty-nine weeks, 
which reach only “unto the Messiah,” leaving all the 
six predicted things yet to take place. Hence they must 
needs take place in the seventieth hep tad. 

But there is nothing so far to indicate in what part of 
the remaining week those things were to be accomplished. 
Therefore, had they happened at the beginning thereof, 
the prophecy thus far would have been perfectly ful¬ 
filled, leaving no part of the seventy weeks unaccounted 
for. For it must be remembered that we have not to do 
with years but with heptads. But the last verse of the 
prophecy is more specific. It contains the definite state¬ 
ment that the great events which were to fulfil the pre¬ 
dictions of verse 24 would happen “in the midst of” the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


111 


last heptad. And, in agreement with this, it appears 
clearly by the Gospel of John that the crucifixion of our 
Lord took place in the midst of the heptad which began 
with the baptism of Christ and His manifestation to 
Israel (John 1:31), which began, in other words, at the 
end of the sixty-nine heptads which reached unto the 
Messiah. Thus the entire period specified in the proph¬ 
ecy is fully accounted for. 

It is pertinent in this connection to point out that the 
Scriptures habitually disregard fractional remainders of 
a time-unit, whether it be a day, a week, a month, or 
a 3 r ear. Thus, if it were foretold that a thing (such 
as the return out of Babylon) would happen in a certain 
year, its occurrence in the first month of that year would 
be a perfect fulfilment of the prediction, and the re¬ 
maining eleven months would be simply disregarded as 
being without significance for the purpose of the 
prophecy. 

Or to take another example, our Lord declared to His 
disciples concerning His approaching death and resur¬ 
rection that “in three days,” and “after three days,” 
He would rise again. If, therefore, He arose the very 
first hour of the third day, His prediction was fulfilled, 
the remaining hours of that day being without signifi¬ 
cance so far as the prediction is concerned. They do not 
have to be accounted for. 

For one can readily see that if a prophecy should call 
for the happening of a certain event on a specified day, 
and the thing were to happen about noon of that day, 
the prophecy would be perfectly fulfilled, and there 
would be no question at all as to what becomes of the 
remaining half day. Precisely so it is with the Seventy 
Weeks, for it obviously makes no difference that the 
time-unit is in this instance a “week” instead of a day. 
But the prophecy we are studying is more definite than 


112 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


the supposed illustration, in that it declares specifically 
that the things foretold would occur in the midst of the 
last week. 

Several able expositors, including Dr. Pusey and Dr. 
Taylor, to whose works we have already referred, offer 
the suggestion that the fraction of a “week,” which was 
unexpired at the date of the Crucifixion, measured the 
time (ending with the martyrdom of Stephen) during 
which the gospel was preached exclusively to the Jews. 
But inasmuch as the date of Stephen’s death is not 
known with certainty we can accept the above only as a 
possibility. In our opinion the prophecy does not call 
for a specific event to mark the end of the last week, 
though such there may have been, and quite possibly the 
death of Stephen was that event. 

God’s Prophetic Time Measure 

Because of the great importance of the subject of God’s 
prophetic time-measure, and of all that depends upon it, 
we return to it again, for the purpose of giving a con¬ 
cise statement of our conclusions in regard thereto, and 
of the reasons on which they are based. 

The message of Gabriel, found in Daniel 9:24-27, dif¬ 
fers from all other prophecies in several particulars, 
and chiefly in that it contains a measuring line of “de 
termined” length, whereby the years were to be meas¬ 
ured from a given event (one of the great landmarks in 
Jewish history) down to the coming of the Messiah and 
the accomplishment of His work of redemption. The 
full length of that line was seventy “heptads,” i. e., 
sevens (or “weeks”) of years, making a total length of 
490 years. The declared purpose of the prophecy 
(v. 24) was to foretell the exact time of the occurrence 
of certain things which are of supreme importance to 
mankind. 

The prophecy reveals, moreover, that the last heptad, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


113 


or 11 week , y ’ of the seventy was to be the most important 
era of all time, for that in that “week” the Messiah was 
to be cut off and have nothing (which act of wickedness 
by the Jews would “finish the transgression” and bring 
judgment upon them); and for that in it also the new 
covenant ‘ * with many ’ ’ was to he confirmed in His blood 
(Mat. 26:28), the numerous sacrifices and oblations of 
the law were to be displaced by the “one sacrifice” of 
Christ (Heb. 10:, 9), an end was to be made of sins, 
reconciliation (or atonement) was to he made for in¬ 
iquity, everlasting righteousness was to he brought in, 
and the most holy (place) was to he anointed. One has 
only to read with proper care the plain words of this 
great prophecy to see that it comes to its climax in the 
“week” in which the death and resurrection of Christ 
and the coming of the Holy Spirit were to take place, 
that is to say, in the last week of the seventy; and hence 
that to remove that week from its place in the series, 
and to “postpone” it to a time far in the future, simply 
makes havoc of the entire prophecy. 

Furthermore, in the light of this sure word of proph¬ 
ecy it is easy to see that, when the Lord Jesus began 
preaching in Galilee, saying “The time is fulfilled , and 
the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe 
the good news” (Mk. 1:14, 15), He was referring to 
“the time” measured out or “determined” in this 
prophecy, and that He was calling upon the people of 
Israel to “repent” and “believe,” as the condition of 
receiving the new birth (John 3:3, 5) and thereby en¬ 
tering into the salvation of the kingdom of God. 

True it is that most of the people, and nearly all their 
leaders, refused to repent and believe the good news; 
and the reason was that the Messiah they were expecting 
was to be a temporal prince and a conquering hero, and 
the kingdom they looked for was to be the restoring of 


114 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


earthly dominion to Israel, and the setting np again of 
the throne of David at Jerusalem. 

It is impossible, however, that when the Lord said, 
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at 
hand,” that He could have been speaking of the restora¬ 
tion of the kingdom of Israel; for “the time” of that 
event has not been revealed to anyone, not even to the 
Son of God Himself (Mat. 24:36). This is proved con¬ 
clusively by the Lord’s reply to the question put to Him 
by His disciples after His resurrection, “Lord, wilt 
Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? ’ ’ 
His reply being, “It is not for you to know the times or 
the seasons, which the Father has put in His own pow¬ 
er” (Acts 1:6, 7). But it is quite the other way in re¬ 
spect to the kingdom of God, which is “righteousness 
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17), 
or in other words, the day of salvation and the accepta¬ 
ble year of the Lord; for that is an era whose “time” 
was fixed in the counsels of God, and definitely foretold 
in the prophecy of the seventy weeks, besides being an¬ 
nounced by John the Baptist and the Lord Himself. Or, 
to state the matter in different terms, the “time” of the 
first coming of Christ was definitely “determined” and 
foretold, and therefore it is written that “when the ful¬ 
ness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, to 
redeem them that were under the law” (Gal. 4:4, 5) ; 
but the “time” of His second coming is kept secret in 
the unrevealed counsels of the Father. 

It should be specially noted in this connection that 
one of the most important uses of this prophecy is as a 
witness against the Jews; for it proves conclusively that 
Jesus of Nazareth, Who came at the predicted time, and 
Who accomplished the predicted things—4. e., making 
atonement for iniquity, bringing in everlasting right¬ 
eousness, confirming the new covenant, taking away the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 115 

sacrifices of the law, &c.—is the true Messiah. For now 
that the “determined seventy weeks,” within which the 
Messiah was to come, and to be “cut off,” are long past, 
it is absolutely impossible that one can come and fulfil 
the prophecy. Hence the time-element is of vital im¬ 
portance. 

But this use of the prophecy is completely frus¬ 
trated by the current idea that God’s measuring line is 
an elastic one, and that it was intended—not to measure 
seventy weeks of years, as all simple-minded persons 
have understood, but—to be stretched out to a length 
of thousands of years, and that the things predicted 
in verses 24 and 27 are not even yet fulfilled. Inasmuch 
as the evident purpose of the prophecy was to limit the 
time” within which those vital things upon which 
the salvation of men depends, were to be accomplished, 
it follows that, to postpone the seventieth week to the 
distant future, makes shipwreck of the entire prophecy. 

The alteration of God’s measuring line whereof we 
are speaking has been effected by the strange expedient 
of inserting many centuries of time (more than nine¬ 
teen hundred years thus far) between the sixty-ninth 
and the seventieth week. And the result is that, in¬ 
stead of a definite and “determined” measuring line of 
490 years, we have one which already is over 2400 years 
in length, and is growing longer every day. 

Nothing can be more evident than that the usefulness 
of a measuring line depends firstly, upon its accuracy, 
and secondly , upon the user’s knowledge of its length. 
Hence to tamper with and alter the dimensions of a 
measure or gauge of time or space, or to change the loca¬ 
tion of any of the markings thereon, is to destroy its use¬ 
fulness. In the case of the measuring line of Daniel 
9:24-27 there are two intermediate markings. One is 
at the end of seven heptads, which indicates the finish- 


116 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


ing of tlie street and wall of the city, and also apparent¬ 
ly the ending of Old Testament prophecy in the days of 
Malachi; the other is at the end of the 69th heptad, 
which reached 4 ‘unto the Messiah, the Prince.” This 
subdivision of the entire period of seventy weeks has the 
(evidently designed) effect of setting apart in a special 
way the final week; and the obvious reason for this is to 
concentrate attention upon that particular era of time 
within the brief limits whereof were to occur the most 
stupendous events of all the ages, namely, the crucifixion 
and resurrection of the Divine Redeemer, and the com¬ 
ing of the Holy Ghost. Thus the climax of the prophecy 
falls within the last week; and it follows that to remove 
that week out of its proper place is to make havoc of the 
Scripture. And this is not reasonably open to dispute 
by any who believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the prom¬ 
ised Messiah; for it is certain that, if the Messiah did 
come at the end of 69 weeks, as foretold in verse 25, then 
He was “cut off” unthin the next ensuing week of years, 
and that in that next ensuing week (the seventieth of 
actual historic time) He fulfilled all the predictions of 
verses 24 and 27. 

But, not only has God’s measuring line been altered 
as already stated, but it has been changed from a line of 
determined length to one of indeterminate length. (It 
would really seem as if the word “determined” had 
been inserted in the angel’s message as a caution and 
warning against this very mutilation.) For, accord¬ 
ing to the idea we are discussing, the number of years 
to be inserted between the sixty-ninth and seventieth 
week is still an unknown quantity. The last week, when 
thus detached from its 69 companions, does not belong 
to any known series whatever. This, in our opinion, not 
only destroys the usefulness of the prophecy, but turns 
it into an absurdity. For a measure of time or space, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 117 

even when tampered with, is still a measure of fixed 
quantity, though deceitful because inaccurate. But a 
measure which has no limits at all, one which continues 
to enlarge its dimensions, which, from an original length 
of 490 years, has already been stretched to 2400, and is 
still elongating itself, is not a measuring line at all. 
It is an absurdity. 

Finally, it is clear beyond all dispute that the exposi¬ 
tion we are discussing detaches the predicted events of 
verses 24 and 27 entirely from the prophetic seventy 
weeks, of which they constitute the very soul and es¬ 
sence, and leaves them to happen whenever they may. 
Indeed, it severs the predictions of verse 27 from Christ 
altogether, and transfers them to some future antichrist, 
though of that feature of the case we need not speak at 
present. It follows that, just as the Jews, having closed 
their eyes to the coming of Messiah the Prince at the 
predicted time, and to the complete fulfilment of this 
and other prophecies in His day (Acts 13:27) by His 
being “cut off/’ are vaguely looking for a fulfilment of 
their expectations at some indefinite time in the future, 
even so the expositors referred to, having closed their 
eyes to the complete fulfilment of verses 24 and 27 in the 
seventieth actual week from the given starting point, 
are looking vaguely and vainly for some other fulfil¬ 
ment, at an indefinite future time, in the imaginary do¬ 
ings of some antichrist, who they say (but without a 
word of Scripture to support them) will make a bargain 
with “many” Jews about renewing their temple- 
sacrifices, and will break that supposed bargain after 
three and a half years. The only difference is that, 
whereas the Jews have thrown the prophecy overboard 
completely, the expositors referred to are trying to show 
respect for it, and to make it agree with their interpre- 


118 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


tation, by the expedient of carrying the last week of the 
seventy all down the centuries of our era, purposing to 
find a place for it on the chart of time when their imagi¬ 
nary fulfilment shall come to pass. 


CHAPTER VIII 
Daniel's Last Vision 

We come now to a prophecy (Daniel X, XI and XII) 
which is closely related to that of the Seventy Weeks; 
and forasmuch as this climax of Daniel’s visions throws 
much light upon those which preceded it, and forasmuch 
also as it is seldom studied as it should be, we propose 
to examine it with all possible care. It will be found to 
contain, particularly in the latter part, matters of much 
importance because of their bearing upon the subject of 
prophecy in general. 

Before entering upon this interesting part of our 
study, it would be well to notice the relation, one to an¬ 
other, of the four visions which occupy the last six chap¬ 
ters of the Book of Daniel. 

The vision of the four beasts of chapter VII is the 
most comprehensive of all. It fills the whole period of 
time from the rise of the Babylonian empire, figured (as 
commonly shown in Babylonian sculptures which exist 
until the present) as a lion having eagle’s wings, through 
that of Medo-Persia, then that of Greece, to and includ¬ 
ing the entire period of the Roman empire down to the 
very end thereof, when human government as a whole 
is to be displaced by the Kingdom of God under the sov¬ 
ereignty of the Son of man. In this vision there are ref¬ 
erences to “the saints of the Most High,” who are per¬ 
secuted under the fourth beast, but the Jewish nation is 
not seen at all. 

The vision of chapter VIII, that of the ram and the 
he-goat, is much more limited in scope, being confined 
to the period of the Medo-Persian and Greek empires. 
This is definitely stated in the explanation given by 


120 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Gabriel (w. 20-25) so that we must needs find the ful¬ 
filment of all the details of this prophecy during the Per- 
sian and Macedonian eras. It fits into and fills out the 
broad outline of the preceding vision. 

The vision of chapter IX is yet more definite and 
specific. It too fits into the broad outline of chapter 
VII, but it has to do mainly with the affairs of Daniel’s 
people and city down to the destruction of the latter 
and the scattering of the former. The connection be¬ 
tween this vision and the last one of the entire series is 
very close. In fact the additional revelations contained 
in chapters X, XI and XII were given to Daniel in re¬ 
sponse to his earnest prayer (see Chap. 10:12), in order 
to enlighten him as to matters which were to befall his 
people during the period of the seventy weeks which 
had then just begun (for the supplemental vision was 
“in the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia,” 10:1). A 
new era of national life for Israel had now begun; and 
this second term of Jewish history, starting with the re¬ 
turn from Babylon in the first year of Cyrus (B. C. 
457) # is called “the latter days,” to distinguish it from 
the first era of Israel’s national existence, which is called 
“the former days.” This will be more fully explained 
later on. The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks had filled 
Daniel ’s soul with grief; for while it foretold the coming 
of the Messiah, and gave the time thereof, instead of 
showing that His advent would mean deliverance and 
prosperity for Daniel’s people, it declared that Messiah 
would be cut off, and that a terrible judgment was to 
follow. So Daniel mourned and chastened himself for 
three full weeks, while he set his heart to understand the 
matter. In response to this desire an angelic being of 
wondrous beauty and glory was sent to him, who spoke 


* See “Chronology of tlic Bible” by P. Mauro. 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


121 


to him, saying: “0 Daniel, a man greatly beloved, un¬ 
derstand the words that 1 speak unto thee , and stand 
upright; for unto thee am I now sent.” Upon hearing 
this word Daniel stood trembling; and then the angel 
further said: 11 Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day 
that thou didst set thy heart to understand , and to chas¬ 
ten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard. . . 

. . Now I am come to make thee understand what shall 
befall thy people in the latter days” (Dan. 10:2-14). 

By this it clearly appears that this fresh communica¬ 
tion from heaven was for the express purpose of enab¬ 
ling Daniel to understand matters concerning his people 
which had not been disclosed by the prophecy of the 
Seventy Weeks. 

Furthermore, upon carefully examining this new com¬ 
munication to Daniel (which occupies chapters XI and 
XII) it is found to be a complete account, in the form 
of a continuous historical narrative, of the second period 
of Jewish national existence, from the reign of Cyrus 
(when the vision was given) to the destruction of Jeru¬ 
salem by the Roman armies under Titus. And not only 
so but—and this is a matter of the deepest interest—the 
fulfilment of every statement in this long prophetic nar¬ 
rative is found to be recorded in histories of indisputable 
authenticity, which have come down to our dajL We, 
therefore, regard this part of our study (Daniel X, XI 
and XII) as of exceptional importance and interest. 
For that reason we would ask special attention to it, and 
particularly to the exposition of the latter part of chap¬ 
ter XI and first part of chapter XII. 

Daniel XI 

The eleventh chapter of Daniel makes difficult read¬ 
ing for those who are unacquainted with the history of 
the times to which the prophecy recorded therein re¬ 
lates. The latter part of the chapter has proved difii- 



122 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


cult also for expositors, among whom there is a wide 
difference of opinion as to the persons and events re¬ 
ferred to. Down to the end of verse 30 there is practi¬ 
cal agreement among expositors as to the meaning of 
the prophecy, and the events by which its several pre¬ 
dictions were fulfilled. We are not aware of any sound 
and competent teacher who does not see, in verses 1-30, 
the main outlines of Persian history, the rise of Alex¬ 
ander of Macedon, the division of his empire between his 
four generals, the incessant wars between the Seleucids 
(kings of Syria, “the north”) and the Ptolemies (kings 
of Egypt, “the south”), and the career of Antiochus 
Epiphanes—that odious persecutor of the Jews, spoken 
of as the “vile person” (v. 21). Indeed, so closely 
does the history of those times correspond with the 
prophecy, that Porphyry and other infidels have cited 
that correspondence as proof that the prophecy of Dan¬ 
iel must have been written after the reign of Antiochus 
Epiphanes. 

But there has been a disagreement as to the appli¬ 
cation of verses 31-35, and as to who is meant by “the 
people that do know their God,” who “understand” 
and “instruct many.” Some of the older commentators 
as Bishop Newton, leap over some centuries at this point, 
and locate the fulfilment in the times of the gospel, mak¬ 
ing “the people who do know their God,” &c. to be the 
apostles and preachers of our era. But this is quite in¬ 
admissible, according to the plain terms of the prophecy 
itself, as we shall point out. And indeed the great body 
of competent expositors finds the fulfilment of these 
verses (31-35) in the doings of that remarkable family 
of Asmoneans, generally called the Maccabees, who 
arose for the deliverance of the Jews in the reign of 
Antiochus, and who faithfully served their people as 
rulers and priests for 130 years. We shall presently 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


123 


show, by authentic histories of those times, that this part 
of the prophecy was fulfilled with literal exactitude. 

Verse 35 brings us to within half a century of the 
nativity of Christ, up to which date the prophetic narra¬ 
tive refers, in regular order, to all the main points of 
Jewish history, passing over nothing of importance. 
This creates a strong presumption that the prophecy, in 
its remaining portion, continues to follow the course of 
Jewish history without any break. For it is impossible 
to conceive of any reason why the narrative should fol¬ 
low the course of events for the greater part of the 
period of “the latter days,” and then, when the most 
important events of the period were reached, should 
abruptly break off and fly away to the remote future, 
leaping over a score of centuries at a single bound. 

The strongest magnifying glass fails to reveal the 
slightest sign of such a remarkable “break.” On the 
contrary, the several clauses of the prophecy at this 
point (see verses 35 and 36) are directly connected to¬ 
gether by the particle “and.” If, therefore, the reader, 
in passing from verse 34 to verse 35 (or, as some say, 
from verse 35 to verse 36) is carried in the twinkling of 
an eye across a period of more than two thousand years, 
there is not a thing in the text to apprise him there¬ 
of, or even to suggest such an extraordinary thing. 
Where those who assert it obtain their information is a 
deep mystery to us. 

We recall again that the one clothed in linen had de¬ 
clared to Daniel that he had come to make him under¬ 
stand what was to befall Daniel’s people “in the latter 
days” (Dan. 10:14). The prophecy makes it perfectly 
clear that the period here designated as “the latter 
days” is that second term of Jewish history which be¬ 
gan at the restoration from Babylon (two years before 
this vision was given to Daniel in the third year of Cy- 


124 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


rus, Dan. 10:1) and ended with the destruction of Jeru¬ 
salem, and the scattering of the people by Titus, in A. D. 
70. 

There is little room for doubt as to the meaning of 
the term “the latter days”; for the angel, after having 
declared the purpose of his coming to be to inform Dan¬ 
iel of the things which were to happen to his people ‘ ‘ in 
the latter days,” began from that very time to tell of 
the successors of Cyrus on the throne of Persia, of the 
rise of Alexander the Great, and of events in the reigns 
of his successors for hundreds of years, next ensuing. 
This proves conclusively that “the latter days” was this 
second term of Jewish history following the restoration 
from Babylon, and makes it impossible to assign any 
other meaning to it. Moreover, the Scripture contrasts 
this period with the first period of their history, which 
it calls “the former days” (Zech. 8:11), just as it dis¬ 
tinguishes the prophets of that first period as “the for¬ 
mer prophets” (Zech. 1:4; 7:7; 7:12). 

It would be strange indeed if an account of “the latter 
days” of the Jewish people, whether the account were 
historic or prophetic, were to give with detail the chief 
events thereof from the very beginning down to about 
30 years before the birth of Christ, and then suddenly 
to break off and fly away to a far distant future, ignor¬ 
ing all those greatest events, and without giving the 
slightest indication of any interruption in the orderly 
and continuous flow of the narrative . 

Of evidence in support of the idea of such a “break” 
there is absolutely none. The idea rests upon no other 
basis than that many modern commentators, being un¬ 
aware of the historical fulfilment of the latter part of 
this prophecy (notwithstanding that its fulfilment is 
marvellously complete and exact, as we hope to show) 
and ignoring the limitations of the prophecy itself, have 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


125 


surmised and contrived a fulfilment which (they say) 
will take place at the end of this present gospel-dispensa¬ 
tion. We expect, in the course of our study of this 
chapter, to show plainly, not only that there is no evi¬ 
dence whatever for the supposed “break” at verse 35 
or 36, but that the idea is altogether inadmissible. 

The “Thing” Revealed to Daniel 

The three visions given to Daniel, all within the space 
of a few years, (1) that of chapter 8, the Ram and the 
He-Goat, (2) that of chapter 9, the Seventy Weeks, 
and (3) that of chapter 10-12, “That which is noted in 
the Scripture of Truth” (10:21), all relate to events 
which were to take place in the new term of Jewish na¬ 
tional existence, which began with the going forth of 
the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem in the first 
year of Cyrus. 

1. As to the first vision, the ram with two horns is 
declared to be “the kings (or kingdom) of Media and 
Persia”; and the he-goat is declared to be “the king 
(kingdom) of Grecia”; and “the great horn is the first 
king,” i. e. y Alexander the Great (8:20, 21). This vision 
astonished Daniel, and made him sick with distress, but 
he did not understand it (8:27). 

2. A few years later, that is, in the first year of 
Darius (9:1), Daniel became aware of God’s purpose, 
as foretold by Jeremiah, to bring the captivity of Israel 
to an end after seventy years. This led him to seek the 
Lord earnestly by prayer, with fasting and ashes, there¬ 
by speaking, and praying, and confessing his own sin 
and the sin of his people, and making supplication for 
the people, the city, and the sanctuary of God. The re¬ 
sponse from heaven to this prayer was the coming of 
Gabriel to Daniel with the prophecy of the Seventy 
Weeks. This prophecy also has to do with the era of 




126 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


the Persian, Greek and Roman empires, down to and in¬ 
cluding the coming and crucifixion of Christ. 

3. The effect of this second vision was to cause still 
greater distress to Daniel; for although the promised 
restoration from the captivity of Babylon had come, 
and the seventy years’ desolations of Jerusalem were 
now; ended, here was the prediction that Messiah was to 
come at a specified time, but instead of being victorious, 
and setting His people on high over the nations, He was 
to be “cut off,” the city and sanctuary were to be de¬ 
stroyed “as with a flood,” and desolations of unmeas¬ 
ured length were determined. Hence we find Daniel, 
in the third year of Cyrus, mourning three full weeks, 
during which time he ate no pleasant food, neither did 
flesh nor wine come into his mouth (10 :l-3). 

Again there comes to this devoted man of God a re¬ 
sponse from heaven in the person of a celestial being, 
from whose words we learn that the object of Daniel’s 
fasting and praying was that he might be given under¬ 
standing of the previous visions. For the angel said, 
“Thy words were heard, and I am come for (because of) 
thy words. . . . Now I am come to make thee under¬ 
stand what shall befall thy people in the latter days” 
(10:11-14). So this long and detailed prophecy, re¬ 
corded in chapter 11, was given for the express pur¬ 
pose of making Daniel understand what he had not been 
able to understand concerning what was to befall his 
people during the additional term of seventy weeks of 
national life which had been granted to them. 

Thus the great subject of the prophecy is declared to 
be the history of the people of Israel , for whom Daniel 
had been interceding. By keeping this fact in view we 
shall carry along with us a clear light whereby we may 
be able to explore the terms of this prophecy. 

The importance of the “thing” which the angel came 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


127 


to make clear to Daniel is indicated by the pains taken 
by the former to encourage and strengthen the man 
greatly beloved, who now was in advanced years, weak¬ 
ened by fasting, and overcome with sorrow (vv. 18, 19). 

We shall now proceed to show the fulfilment of the 
details of this prophecy. It is not difficult to do this 
with the help of reliable histories—particularly I and II 
Maccabees, and Josephus. These are not, of course, in¬ 
spired writings, but they are authentic and trustworthy 
histories, which have, in the providence of God, come 
down to us from ancient times, that by their records the 
faith of His own people might be encouraged, and that 
those who reject His Word might be without excuse. 

The Persian Era 

The first four verses of Daniel 11 foretell events which 
are familiar matters of history. This shows that the 
prophecy was to have a very literal fulfilment; and it 
shows also that the fulfilment was to begin from that 
very time. For verse 2 declares that four more Persian 
kings were to arise (after Cyrus). It further foretells 
that the fouth king would be immensely rich, and that 
he would stir up all his realm against Greece. This was 
the famous Xerxes, who, after long preparations in 
every part of his realm, invaded Greece with a huge 
army and navy, but was ignominiously defeated by 
land and sea, thus preparing the way for the downfall 
of the Persian empire (see Anstey’s Bible Chronology, 
p. 239). 

Alexander the Great 

Verses 3 and 4 predict the rise of a mighty king who 
should rule with great dominion, and accomplish his 
will. His kingdom, however, was to be broken and 
divided into four parts, but not to his own posterity. 


128 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


This was literally accomplished in the career of Alex¬ 
ander the Great, who, after his conquest of Persia and 
of the world, died without children, and whose vast 
dominions were divided between his four generals. 
These did not rule “according to his dominion,” for 
their kingdom was again and again “plucked up, even 
for others beside themselves. ’ ’ 

Alexander's Successors 

After the partition of Alexander’s dominions, the 
Jewish people came into contact with only two of the 
four kingdoms which succeeded him—the Seleucids, the 
kings of Syria (“the king of the north”) and the Ptole¬ 
mies, rulers of Egypt (“the king of the south”). These 
waged incessant warfare against each other, and the 
Jews suffered in turn from each. 

Verses 5 to 19, inclusive, of Daniel 11 describe the 
wars and intrigues between the king of the north 
(Syria) and king of the south (Egypt). At first the 
kings of Egypt prevailed. The prophecy foretold this; 
for it says, “And the king of the south shall be strong, 
and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, 
and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great 
dominion” (v. 5). 

Verse 6 says: “And in the end of years they shall 
join themselves together”—that is the king of the north 
and king of the south shall form a league—“for the 
king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of 
the north to make an agreement; but she shall not re¬ 
tain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor 
his arm. But she shall be given up, and they that 
brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strength¬ 
ened her in these times. ’ ’ 

Answering to this very definite prophecy we have his¬ 
torical records of an alliance between the two rival king- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


129 


doms, when Ptolemy Philadelphia gave his daughter 
Berenice in marriage to Antiochus Theos of Syria, upon 
condition that he should put away his wife, Laodice. 
But, as foretold in the prophecy, this league did not 
last; for Ptolemy died soon after, and then Antiochus 
put away Berenice, and took back his former wife, who 
subsequently requited him by procuring his murder, and 
also the murder of Berenice. 

The brother of the latter, Ptolemy Euergetes (re¬ 
ferred to in the prophecy as “one out of her roots”), 
undertook to avenge her death by an invasion of Syria, 
in which he was successful. This appears to be what is 
foretold in verses 7, 8 and 9, which tell of one who should 
“enter into the fortress of the king of the north,” and 
who should “prevail,” and should “also carry captives 
into Egypt, their gods with their princes, and with their 
precious vessels of silver and of gold.” 

Antiochus the Great 

Later on, however, under Antiochus the Great, the 
Syrians became the more powerful. That monarch pros¬ 
ecuted the war against Egypt with vigour, and at first 
with some success, as indicated in verse 10. But, as 
verse 11 foretold, the king of Egypt was moved with 
fury against him, and defeated him with great loss. Yet, 
though he “cast down many ten thousands” he was not 
permanently “strengthened thereby” (v. 12). For, 
about fourteen years later, Antiochus renewed the war, 
fulfilling the words: “For the king of the north shall 
return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the 
former.” In this expedition he was aided by reprobate 
Jews, spoken of in the prophecy as “robbers of thy peo¬ 
ple” (w. 13, 14). For this aid rendered by the Jews 
Antiochus was, for a time, very favorable to them. When 
he entered Palestine he was received by them with great 


130 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


demonstrations of joy; and so as foretold, “he stood in 
the glorious land” (v. 16); but in the end this proved to 
be a calamity for the Jews for he fulfilled the words, 
“And he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his 
hand shall be consumed. ’ ’ 

Further, in the attempt to accomplish his designs 
against Egypt, Antioehus gave his daughter Cleopatra 
in marriage to Ptolemy Epiphanes. But this did not 
work to his advantage, for she sided with her husband, 
instead of her father. Reference to this political inci¬ 
dent may be seen in the words, “And he shall give him 
the daughter of women, corrupting her; but she shall 
not stand on his side, neither be for him” (v. 17). Then 
he turned to make war against the Romans, but was 
defeated by Scipio Africanus; after which he returned 
to his own land, and was slain by his people, who were 
aroused to fury by the burdensome taxes exacted by him 
to defray the expenses of his unsuccessful war and the 
tribute laid upon him by the Romans. It is easily seen 
that these incidents, which brought the career of An- 
tiochus the Great to a close, respond to the predictions 
of verse 19. 

The Raiser of Taxes 

In the foregoing paragraphs we have simply con¬ 
densed the historical information which has been gath¬ 
ered with painstaking care by able expositors, such as 
Prideaux (“Connection of the Old and New Testa¬ 
ments”), Pusey (“Lectures on Daniel”), Anstey (“Ro¬ 
mance of Bible Chronology”) and Taylor (“Daniel the 
Beloved”). 

There is some uncertainty as to who is meant by “a 
raiser of taxes” (or, as the margin reads, “one that 
causeth an exactor to pass over”) mentioned in verse 20. 
Taylor applies this verse to the son of Antioehus, who 
succeeded him, and who had to raise enormous sums in 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


131 


taxes in order to pay the annual tribute to the Romans, 
and we may accept this as correct (since we seem to be 
following here the succession of events in Syria); but a 
close correspondence to verse 20 is also found in the 
career of one Jason who “stood up” in Palestine at that 
time, obtained the high priesthood by bribery, and lost 
it shortly thereafter (II Maccabees, ch. 4). 

Antiochus Epiphanes. The “Vile Person” 

Verse 21 foretells the rising up of a “vile person.” 
Nearly all expositors of repute are agreed that this ‘ i vile 
person” (an expression signifying one greatly abhorred 
and detested) was Antiochus Epiphanes, successor to 
Antiochus the Great as king of Syria. This odious per¬ 
son occupies a very large place in the prophecy; for 
verses 21 to 35 are taken up with the foretelling of his 
abominable actions toward the Jews. In I Maccabees 1: 
10 he is described as “a wicked root.” His deeds of 
cruelty and sacrilege far surpassed anything the Jews 
had suffered under previous rulers. Many pages in 
Maccabees and Josephus are devoted to the history of 
this tyrannical king, and his ill-treatment of the Jews. 

In the prophecy (Dan. 11:21, 23) it was foretold that, 
“he shall come in peacably, and obtain the kingdom 
by flatteries . . . and after the league made with him 

he shall work deceitfully.” This was fulfilled quite lit¬ 
erally, for Josephus relates that the king (Antiochus), 
having determined to make war on the king of Egypt, 
“came up to Jerusalem, and, pretending peace, got pos¬ 
session of the city by treachery” (Bk. II, 5, 4). The 
Cambridge edition of the Bible cites II Maccabees 4:7, 
10, 23-31 in connection with the foregoing verses. 

Again, according to the prophecy (v. 24), this “vile 
person,” after entering peaceably upon the fattest (i. e., 
the richest) places of the province, would do “that 
which his fathers had not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; 


132 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and 
riches,” etc. In agreement with this is the fact that 
none of the predecessors of Antiochus had ever inter¬ 
fered in the slightest degree with the worship, laws, or 
religious observances of the Jews; nor had they ever 
violated the temple in any way. Thus, in plundering 
and profaning the temple, and in his acts of cruelty and 
sacrilege (to which we will refer below), Antiochus 
Epiphanes did “that which his fathers had not done, 
nor his fathers’ fathers.” 

Verse 25 of the prophecy foretells this ruler’s military 
expedition against Egypt (II Mac. 5:1). The histories 
give a full account of this campaign. In fact the Cam¬ 
bridge edition of the Bible, and some others, have in 
the margin a note on this verse which reads, “Fulfilled 
B. C. 170.” 

Verses 28-30 tell of his return in a second expedition 
against Egypt, and of its failure: “For the ships of 
Chittim shall come against him. Therefore he shall be 
grieved (disappointed or made despondent) and return 
and have indignation against the holy covenant,” &c. 
The record of this unsuccessful expedition against 
Egypt, and of the fury of Antiochus which he proceeded 
to vent upon the Jews, is given in Maccabees and Jose¬ 
phus. Anstey thus condenses their account. 

“B. C. 168. Popillius met Antiochus Epiphanes four miles 
from Alexandria, drew a circle round him in the sand, and 
forced him to cease his war in Egypt. Whereupon Antiochus 
began his savage persecution of the Jews, which led to the 
rise of Mattathias and the Maccabees.” 

In the Cambridge Bible verse 28 has a note, “Ful¬ 
filled B. C. 169”; and verse 30 a note, “Fulfilled B. C. 
168.” At verse 31 it cites I Mac. 1:59; II Mac. 6 :2. At 
verse 32 it cites I Mac. 1 :62, II Mac. 6 :19, 7:1. At verse 

34 it cites I Mac. 3 :17; 4:8; II Mac. 2:21. And at verse 

35 it cites I Mac. 6:12. 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


133 


This brings us to the climax of the wicked deeds of 
Antiochus, which the prophecy foretells distinctly, and 
which the histories record with great detail. We refer 
to his gross impiety and sacrilege in respect to the tem¬ 
ple, the sacrifices, and the religious customs of the Jews. 
Verse 30 speaks of his coming to an understanding 
“with them that forsake the holy covenant.” For many 
of the Jews apostatised at that time, forsaking God, and 
turning against all their religious customs. Thus in 
I Maccabees 1:41-43 & 52 we read: 

“Moreover, King Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, 
that all should be one people, and everyone should leave his 
laws. So all the heathen agreed according to the command¬ 
ment of the king. Yea, many also of the Israelites consented 
to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols , and profaned the 
Sabbath. * ♦ * Then many of the people were gathered un¬ 
to them, to wit, every one that forsook the law; and so they 
committed evils in the land.” 

The fulfilment again is most exact. Verse 31 of Dan¬ 
iel 11 foretold that “Arms shall stand on his part,” or 
more literally, “arms from him shall stand.” This was 
fulfilled by Antiochus’ sending an army into Judea (I 
Mac. 1:29 et seq.). 

They also “polluted” at this time the sanctuary of 
strength and caused the daily sacrifice to be taken away; 
for it is recorded in I Maccabees 1:44 et seq. that An¬ 
tiochus sent letters commanding them to follow strange 
laws, and forbidding “burnt offering and sacrifice, and 
drink offerings in the temple; and that they should pro¬ 
fane the Sabbath and festival days; and pollute the sanc¬ 
tuary of the holy people.” 

We quote here from Dr. Taylor’s well written account 
of the deeds of this atrocious character: 

“When he was informed of the satisfaction with 
which the news of his reported death was received by 
the Jews, and especially of the attempt made by the 
rightful high priest to regain his position, he chose to 


134 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


believe that the entire Jewish nation had revolted; and, 
marching with all haste, he laid siege to Jerusalem and 
took it, slaying in three days more than forty thousand 
persons, and taking as many more captives to be sold as 
slaves. Not content with this, he forced his way into the 
Temple, entered the very Holy of Holies itself, and 
caused a great sow to be offered in sacrifice upon the 
altar of burnt-offering, while broth, made from the same 
unclean flesh, was sprinkled by his order over the sacred 
precincts for the purpose of defiling them. On his de¬ 
parture he took with him the altar of incense, the golden 
candlestick, the table of shew bread, and other sacred 
vessels, to the value of eighteen hundred talents of gold. 
. . . . Two years after the commission of these enormi¬ 
ties, returning from another invasion of Egypt, where 
he had been checkmated by the Romans, he vented his 
disappointment upon the Jews, and detailed his army, 
twenty-two thousand men, under Apollonius, with or¬ 
ders to destroy Jerusalem. On his arrival at the holy 
city Apollonius conducted himself peaceably, concealing 
his purpose till the Sabbath; but on that day, when the 
people were assembled in their synagogues, he let loose 
his soldiers upon them, and commanded them to slay all 
the men, but to take captive all the women and chil¬ 
dren. These orders were only too faithfully obeyed, 

so that the streets were filled with blood.Thus 

the sad description in the seventy-ninth Psalm was veri¬ 
fied, *0 God, the heathen are come into Thine inheri¬ 
tance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; they have 
laid Jerusalem on heaps. The dead bodies of Thy ser¬ 
vants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of heav¬ 
en, the flesh of Thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. 
Their blood have they shed like water round about Jeru¬ 
salem; and there was none to bury them. We are be- 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


135 


come a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and deri¬ 
sion to them that are round about us. ’ ” 

The words “and shall place the abomination which 
maketh desolate” (Dan. 11:31) call for special exami¬ 
nation, because of their recurrence in chapter 12:11, 
and of their use by the Lord Jesus Christ, in Matthew 
24 and Mark 13. We have already shown, and expect 
to refer to the matter again, that the expression “the 
abomination which maketh desolate” means an armed 
heathen force. Such a force was placed by Antiochus in 
the city of David (I Mac. 1:34, 35). 

Verse 32 of the prophecy speaks of two classes of Jews, 

(1) “such as do wickedly against the covenant”; and 

(2) those “that do know their God.” Of the former it 
is said that they shall be corrupted “by flatteries”; and 
of the latter that they “shall be strong, and do ex¬ 
ploits. ’* 

Concerning the first class it is recorded in I Mac. 1:11 
et seq. that “In those days there went out of Israel 
wicked men who persuaded many, saying: Let us go 
and make a covenant with the heathen, that are round 
about us. . . . Then certain of the people were so 

forward herein that they went to the king, who gave 
them license to do after the ordinances of the heathen. ’ ’ 
Many Jews, including even Jason, the brother of Onias 
the high priest, were corrupted and won over to An¬ 
tiochus by flattery and self-interest (II Mac. 4:7-14). 

The Uprising of the Maccabees 

The second class of persons spoken of in verse 32 of 
Daniel 11, “those that do know their God,” is easily 
and completely identified in Mattathias, the godly and 
patriotic priest, and his five sons, who led a successful 


136 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


revolt against Antioehus, and in those of his family 
who ruled Israel as governors and priests for 130 years. 
These were indeed made “strong” through “knowing 
their God,” and performed “exploits” of greatest valor 
—particularly Judas, who was surnamed Maccabeus, 
that is the Hammer of God. This nick-name of Judas 
has been applied to the whole family, but they are prop¬ 
erly the Asmonean Princes. 

There is no need to speak of the heroic ‘ ‘ exploits ’ ’ of 
Judas and his brothers, Jonathan and Simon, who suc¬ 
ceeded him, for they are well known. But the terms 
of verses 33, 34 and 35 call for some explanation. 

Yerse 33 reads: “And they that understand among 
the people shall instruct many.” Upon good authority 
we can say that the tense of the Hebrew verb used calls 
for the rendering “they that cause to understand.” 
Likewise in chapter 12:3 the literal rendering would 
be “they that cause to be wise.” These terms aptly 
designate those who have the Word of God and who 
teach others therein—those who impart to others the 
knowledge of the ways of God, and who cause them to be 
“wise unto salvation.” 

This description, therefore, applies particularly to 
Mattathias and his family, who not only were priests 
by their birthright, and thus the divinely ordained 
teachers of Israel, but were true priests , faithfully per¬ 
forming their duty to God and to His people. 

Further verse 33 says: “Yet they shall fall by the 
sword, and by flame, by captivity and by spoil (many) 
days.’ ’ This was most literally fulfilled in the history 
of the Asmoneans. Judas himself, and a great part of 
his army, were slain by the sword (I Mac. 9:17, 18). 
Jonathan also was slain with a thousand men (I Mac. 
12:48). The chief tax-collector set Jerusalem on fire 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 137 

(I Mac. 1:31; see also II Mac. 7). Forty thousand cap¬ 
tives were carried away by Antiochus (II Mac. 5:14). 

Verse 34 says: “Now when they fall they shall be 
holpen by a little help” (or better, by the help of a 
few ); “but many shall cleave to them by flatteries.” 

To be “helped” in Scripture means to be helped e/- 
fectually; and what is here pointed out is that the Mac¬ 
cabees should accomplish their great victories with the 
“help” of a small number; and this was wonderfully 
fulfilled in that Judas, time and again, defeated, with 
very small forces, large armies of Syrians, Idumeans, 
and others (I Mac. 2:28; 3:9-11) &c. But later on, 
many did cleave to them by flatteries, professing friend¬ 
ship to them, &c. (I Mac. 10). Thus Alexander Bala, 
successor to Antiochus Epiphanes, made with Jonathan 
a league of mutual assistance and friendship (I Mac. 
10:65). 

Verse 35 of Daniel 11 foretells that some of them of 
understanding, or that cause to be wise —that is to say 
the teachers of God’s people—shall fall, to try them, and 
to purge them, and to make them white, unto the time 
of the end . The family of Mattathias continued for sev¬ 
eral generations to serve the people of Israel in the ca¬ 
pacity of priests and teachers (I Mac. 10:21; 14:35; 
16:24; and Josephus Ant. XIII 8, 1). Of these “some” 
fell by violent deaths and by captivity (I Mac. 6:46; 
9 :18; 9 :36, 42; 12 :41-48; Ant. XIV 4, 5; XIV 13, 10; 
XV 6, 2). And this continued to the very “end” of the 
Asmonean era; for the last of the family, Aristobulus, 
who held for a short time the high priesthood, was mur¬ 
dered at the command of Herod (Ant. XV 3, 3). 

The words “unto the end” would most naturally be 
taken to mean the end of the Asmonean era, which had 
a very definite beginning and an equally definite end; 
for it is in connection with the history of that family 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


128 


that the term is used. But if it be taken that verse 35 
describes a state of things which was to continue to the 
time of the end (the final era) of this period of Jewish 
national existence, it would be true in that sense also. 
For to this final era verse 35 brings us. 






CHAPTER IX 
“The King” 

We come now to a remarkable personality, one who 
fills a large and prominent place in the prophecy, and 
who is introduced in these words:— 

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he 
shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every 
god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God 
of gods and shall prosper until the indignation be ac¬ 
complished” (Dan. 11:36). 

Here we reach that part of the prophecy in regard to 
which there is the greatest difference of opinion among 
expositors; and yet, if we be not greatly mistaken (as 
to which our readers must judge) it is an easy matter, 
in the light of history, both sacred and profane, to iden¬ 
tify that “king” whose character and doings are set 
forth in such striking words in our prophecy. Because, 
however, of the disagreement referred to, it behooves us, 
at this point, to exercise special diligence and care in 
examining and applying the proofs; and we ask the 
reader, on his part, to give close attention to the expo¬ 
sition of these verses; for one’s understanding of the 
word of prophecy as a whole will depend very largely 
upon the view he may take of them. 

We will first point out some of the current explana¬ 
tions of this part of the prophetic narrative of Daniel 
XI. 

According to one view (that presented by Smith’s 
Bible Dictionary and other reputable authorities such 
as Taylor) this portion of the prophecy (Dan. 11:36 
to end) has still to do with Antiochus Epiphanes, and 
that tyrant is “the king” of verse 36. That view of the 


140 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


passage is necessitated by the general scheme of inter¬ 
pretation adopted in the work referred to, which makes 
the first coming of Christ and the Kingdom He then 
established, to be the 4 ‘stone,” which strikes the great 
image of Gentile dominion upon its feet (Dan. 2:34, 35). 
Now, inasmuch as it is a matter of Bible fact, as well as 
of familiar history, that Christ did not come into de¬ 
structive collision with the Roman empire, but rather 
strengthened it, this scheme of interpretation is com¬ 
pelled to ignore the Roman empire, and to make up the 
four world-powers by counting Media as one and Per¬ 
sia as another. This makes Greece the fourth, instead of 
the third, and compels the idea that the entire 11th 
chapter has to do with the Greek era. 

But this whole scheme is shattered by contact with the 
undisputed facts. For first, Scripture declares plainly 
that Media and Persia formed one kingdom, not two. 
Even during the short time that “Darius the Mede” 
(11:1) was on the throne it speaks expressly of “the 
laws of the Medes and Persians” (5:26; 6:8), which 
shows that, from the very first, the two constitued one 
government. The Scripture also says plainly, “The ram 
which thou sawest, having two horns, are the kings of 
Media and Persia, and the rough goat is the king of 
Grecia” (Dan. 8:20, 21). The meaning of this is un¬ 
mistakable. It shows that the two “horns” (or powers) 
were united to form one kingdom; and that it was this 
united kingdom (and not that of Persia alone) which 
was overthrown by Alexander the Great. 

Secondly, it was the power of Rome, not that of 
Christ’s Kingdom, which brought the Greek dominion to 
an end. This happened at the battle of Actium, a quar¬ 
ter of a century before Christ was born. Therefore, the 
view stated above must be dismissed as directly con¬ 
trary to the plainest facts. It may be added, moreover, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


141 


that there are certain definite statements made concern¬ 
ing this 11 king ’ ’ which cannot possibly be made to apply 
to Antiochns, as for instance that he should “ prosper 
until the indignation be accomplished.” We therefore 
concur with the large number of expositors who hold 
that this part of the prophecy cannot be taken as apply¬ 
ing to Antiochus Epiphanes. 

The “Break” Theory 

According to another view (one that is widely held at 
the present day) there is a complete break in the proph¬ 
ecy at the end of verse 34 (or as some say at the end of 
verse 35) all the rest of the chapter being assigned to the 
days of antichrist, which are yet future. The supposition, 
however, that an abrupt break occurs at this point, and 
an unmentioned interval of over two thousand years, 
where the text has the form of a continuous historical 
narrative, is a very radical one; and it certainly ought 
not to be accepted without convincing proof. The strong¬ 
est magnifying glass would fail to reveal the slightest in¬ 
dication of any such “break,” but on the contrary every 
item of the subject-matter of verses 34, 35 and 36 is con¬ 
nected with the one which precedes it by the conjunc¬ 
tion “and.” On the other hand we find strong reasons 
for the view that the prophecy is just what it appears 
to be, namely, an outline, in continuous historical form, 
of the main events of “the latter days,” that is to say, 
the second term of Jewish national existence. The view 
we hold requires that the last three of the four prophetic 
world-powers should come into view within the period of 
this chapter. At the time it begins the Babylonian em¬ 
pire was already a thing of the past. Hence the con¬ 
tinuance of the prophecy should bring us successively to 
the eras of Persia, Greece, and Rome. That it conducts 
us to the era of Persia and then to that of Greece is 


142 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


agreed to by all. Why then imagine that, when we come 
to the Koman era, which is far the most important of 
all, the prophecy (without giving the faintest intimation 
of such a thing) takes a sudden leap of more than two 
thousand years into the future? The only reason why 
that strange idea has been entertained by any is that 
they have not known of any historical personage who 
answers to what is stated in these verses. Yet there is 
such a personage, and he stands forth very conspicuously 
in both Bible history and secular history, as we shall 
now proceed to show. But first we ask our readers to 
bear in mind that the presumption is strongly against 
there being any ‘ ‘break’’ in the prophecy, as is assumed 
by those who hold the theory we are now considering. 
This presumption stands upon the following grounds:— 

First. The form in which the prophecy is given, that 
of a straightforward narrative, in continuous historical 
order, omitting no happening of any importance, pre¬ 
cludes the idea of there being any break, such as 
is supposed. 

Second. The prophecy has expressly for its subject 
the events of “the latter days” of Jewish history, and 
the text itself shows this to be the designation of the 
second term of national life for Israel, which began un¬ 
der Cyrus. This forbids the cutting off of the last (and 
most important) part of the prophecy and the applica¬ 
tion of it to a remote age. 

Third. After verses 36, 37, 38 and 39, which speak of 
the character and doings of “the king,” we find the 
words, “And at the time of the end shall the king of the 
south push at (or with) him; and the king of the north 
shall come,” etc. (v. 40). This and succeeding verses 
(where mention is made of Edom, Moab, and the chil¬ 
dren of Ammon—peoples which have now long ago 
ceased to exist) afford clear proof that the prophecy is 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


143 


still occupied with the era of the wars between Syria 
and Egypt, which continued till the battle of Actium, 
B. C. 30. 

Fourth. Finally a conclusive reason for the view we 
are now presenting is found in the words of the angel 
recorded in chapter 12:7. It will be observed that the 
prophecy continues without interruption to verse 4 of 
chapter 12, where it reaches its end. But then Daniel 
asked a question concerning * ‘ the end of these wonders ’ ’ 
which the angel had been foretelling. To this question 
the angel gives a reply which makes it perfectly certain 
that the prophecy extends to the dispersion of the Jews 
at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, and 
no further. For he said, “And when He (God) shall 
have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy peo¬ 
ple, all these things shall be finished.” We do not see 
how it can be contended, in the face of these clear words, 
that the prophecy has to do with events subsequent to 
the scattering of the national power of the Jewish peo¬ 
ple and it is not open to dispute that that took place in 
A. D. 70. We shall refer to this at greater length later 
on. 

We have seen that verses 32-35 have to do (as is gen¬ 
erally agreed) with the Asmoneans or Maccabees, verse 
35 telling what was to befall them to the time of the 
end. What, therefore, we would be led to expect next is 
a reference to that order of things in Israel which fol¬ 
lowed immediately after the era of the Asmonean 
princes. And that is exactly what we do find. For 
there is no need (and no ground) either for the attempt 
to make rhe next succeding verses apply to Antiochus 
Epiphanes, or to make a sudden and gigantic leap into 
the far distant future, in order to find a person whose 
career might conceivably answer to this part of the 
prophecy. For history, both sacred and profane, sets 


144 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


before us a most notable character, one who appears up¬ 
on the scene and occupies the center of the stage in Is¬ 
rael just at “the end” of the Asmonean era, and one 
who answers to every item of the prophetic description. 
We have reference to that strange, despotic, ungoverna¬ 
ble and unspeakably cruel personage, whom the evan¬ 
gelists designate emphatically as— 

“Herod the King” 

—that remarkable character who was a usurper upon 
the throne of David when Christ, the true King, was 
born. The proof which enables us to identify “the 
king” of Daniel 11:36-39 with Herod the Great and his 
dynasty, is so convincing that we feel warranted in say¬ 
ing that the prophecy could not possibly mean anyone 
else. 

It would be strange indeed if, in an outline which 
gives prominence to Xerxes, Alexander, the Seleucids, 
the Ptolemies, Antiochus Epiphanes, and the Maccabees, 
there were no mention of that remarkable personage who 
exerted upon Jewish affairs and destinies an influence 
greater than they all, and who sat upon the throne of 
Israel when Christ was born. 

The words, “the king,” should suffice, in the light 
of the context, without further description, to identify 
Herod to those who thoughtfully read their Bibles; for 
Herod alone is called by that title in the Gospels, and 
he alone had the rank and authority of “king” in Israel 
in the days after the captivity, “the latter days.” The 
text does not speak of a king, but of the king, the em¬ 
phatic Hebrew article being used. This is in marked 
contrast with the terms of v. 40, where the original 
speaks of “a king of the north,” and “a king of the 
south. ’ ’ 

A glance at the context is enough to show that “the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


145 


king” of v. 36 cannot mean either of the kings of v. 27. 
Moreover, these are never spoken of as “the king,” but 
always, both before and after v. 36, as “the king of the 
north,” or “the king of the south,” as the case may be. 
Nor does the Scripture speak of any “king” who is to 
arise at the time of the end of this present age, and who 
answers at all to the description of the prophecy. The 
“man of sin,” described in 2 Thess. 2:3-10, is supposed 
by some to be “the king” of Daniel 11:36. But he is 
not called a king, nor described as having kingly rank, 
but rather as one claiming divine worship in the temple 
of God, and backing up his pretensions by means of mir¬ 
acles and lying wonders. The “king” of Daniel 11:36 
is a very different personage, and achieves his ends in 
a very different way, as will be clearly seen by all who 
diligently compare the two passages. 

What has caused able commentators to go astray at 
this point, and in some instances to seek far afield for 
the interpretation of this passage, is the fact that they 
were unable to find anyone among the successors of An- 
tiochus who answers at all to the description of “the 
king. ’’ But they have overlooked two things which, had 
they heeded them, would have kept them from being so 
misled. Those things are, first, that the prophecy has 
not for its subject the kingdoms of Syria or Egypt, but 
the people of Israel, and hence the expression, “the 
king,” without other qualification, would mean one who 
was king over Daniel’s people; and second, that the 
verses immediately preceding (31-35) relate wholly to 
the affairs of the Jews under the Asmonean princes, 
and hence the terms of the prophecy itself lead us to 
look at this point for the beginning of a new order of 
things in Israel. And that is just what history certifies 
to us; for, precisely at this juncture of affairs, the 
Asmonean dynasty was brought to an end by violence 


146 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


and bloodshed, and it was replaced by that of a “king,” 
who answers perfectly to the description of the last part 
of the prophecy. 

Moreover, and to this we would specially invite at¬ 
tention, it is said of this king that “he shall prosper un¬ 
til the indignation be accomplished” (or until wrath be 
completed), in fulfilment of which is the fact that the 
dynasty of Herod retained, through all the political up¬ 
heavals of the times, its favor with Rome, and flourished 
in authority in Palestine, until the destruction of Jeru¬ 
salem, which is the “wrath,” or “indignation,” or “trib¬ 
ulation,” to which these prophecies of Daniel so fre¬ 
quently refer as ‘ * the end ” of Jewish nationality. For 
it was “Herod the king” who sought to compass the 
death of Christ soon after His birth, and whose succes¬ 
sors of his own family put to death John the Baptist 
(this was done by Herod Antipas) and James the broth¬ 
er of John (by Herod Agrippa I, who also imprisoned 
Peter, intending to deliver him to the Jews) and finally 
sent Paul in chains to Rome (which was done by Herod 
Agrippa II, the last of the dynasty, the man who is 
best known to the world as he who was “almost per¬ 
suaded”). 

“According to His Will” 

The first thing said of this king is that he should “do 
according to his will.” This is usually taken to mean 
that he would be of an exceptionally self-willed disposi¬ 
tion, one of the sort who act without restraint, and with¬ 
out regard to the rights or the feelings of others. This 
may indeed be in part the meaning of the words; but 
much more than this is implied. Self-willed people are so 
very numerous that, if that were all that were meant, the 
words could not serve for purposes of identification. 
But not many are so placed, and have such power in 
their hands that they are able to “do,” that is, to achieve 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 147 

or accomplish what they “will” or plan to do; and this 
is what is meant. For the expression is used in this same 
prophecy of two other notable personages. The first of 
these is Alexander the Great, of whom it is said that he 
“shall rule with great dominion, and do according to 
his will” (v. 3). The other (v. 16) has been identified 
as Antiochus the Great. Of him also it is said, “he shall 
do according to his own will”; and history shows that 
this monarch, too, was very successful, during the first 
part of his reign, in carrying out his various designs. 

This is what distinguished Herod the Great in a re¬ 
markable degree. For history records nothing of this 
nature more notable than Herod’s success in rising up 
from a lowly origin to the rank and authority of king, 
in securing for himself despotic power and retaining it 
through all the political changes of the times, and in the 
way he used that power for the accomplishment of all 
his designs, however stupendous in magnitude (as the 
rebuilding of the temple) or atrocious in character (a,s 
condemning to death his own wife and children). For 
Herod contrived to secure the favor and confidence, first 
of Julius Caesar, then of Mark Antony, and then of 
Octavius Caesar, though he had assisted Antony and 
Cleopatra against him. All things considered, there is 
nothing more wonderful in the career of Herod than his 
extraordinary success in doing “according to his will.” 

But, taking the expression in the other sense, we may 
say that it would be difficult to find in history one who 
so ruthlessly executed the designs of his own tyrannical 
and cruel heart, even upon those of his own flesh and 
blood, as Herod the king. His murder of his best-loved 
wife, the beautiful Mariamne, who was a princess of the 
Asmonean family, is, in its special circumstances, with¬ 
out parallel in history. He put to death also three of his 
own sons (two of them by this favorite wife) because 


148 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


he suspected them of aspiring to his throne; and similar 
deeds of wilfulness characterized his entire reign. 
Josephus gives many instances of this (see for example 
Ant. XII 9, 4). 

Exalting and Magnifying Himself 

Further it is said of this king that “he shall exalt 
himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall 
speak marvellous things against the God of gods. ’ ’ These 
words are descriptive of Herod. The words “above 
every god” may be taken to mean every ruler and au¬ 
thority in Israel, just as “God of gods” means the Su¬ 
preme Authority above all authorities. Herod did suc¬ 
cessfully aspire to the lordship over every authority in 
the land, whether priests or rulers. He assumed to ap¬ 
point whom he would to the office of high priest. He put 
his own brother-in-law, Aristobulus, Mariamne’s brother, 
in that office, and shortly after had him murdered (Ant. 
XV 3,5). 

Herod also uttered great things against the God of 
gods. This, we believe, refers specially (though not ex¬ 
clusively) to his decree for the slaughter of the babes 
of Bethlehem, the express purpose of which was to get 
rid of Immanuel, God come in the flesh to be the Ruler 
of His people, and to be “Prince of the kings of the 
earth” (Rev. 1:5). Herod’s way of making himself 
secure upon the throne was to put to death every sus¬ 
pected rival. For Herod, in common with the Jewish 
teachers in his day (and with some teachers in our own 
day who ought to know better) mistakenly supposed 
that the Christ of God was coming at that time to occupy 
the earthly throne upon which Herod was then seated. 
We shall have occasion to refer again to this prominent 
act in the career of Herod. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


149 


The Desire of Women 

Verse 37 reads: “Neither shall he regard the God of 
his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; 
for he shall magnify himself above all. ’ ’ 

These words call for special comment. The first clause 
manifestly could not apply to any heathen king like 
Antiochus. For whether or not a heathen king should 
change his national gods is a matter of no importance 
whatever. But with a king of Israel it is a matter of su¬ 
preme importance. Now Herod, though supposedly of 
Idumean (i. e. Edomite) origin, was virtually a Jew; for 
all the remaining Idumeans, who had come into Judea 
several centuries previous, had been amalgamated with 
the Jews. In addressing the people Herod habitually used 
the expression “our fathers” (Ant. Bk. XV Ch. 11, 
Sec. 1). So fully was Herod regarded as a Jew, that the 
Herodians even held him to be the Messiah. Therefore, 
in introducing the worship of Caesar, Herod conspicu¬ 
ously failed to “regard the God of his fathers.” More¬ 
over, in this connection, it should not be forgotten that 
Esau was Jacob’s twin brother, and hence that the God 
of the fathers of the Edomites was the same as the God of 
the fathers of the Jews. 

The words, “nor the desire of women,” are very sig¬ 
nificant. There can scarcely be any doubt that they 
refer to Christ, and that Daniel would so understand 
them. For, of course, the “women” must be understood 
to be women of Israel ; and the ardent “desire” of every 
one of them was that she might be the mother of Christ. 
The same word is found in Haggai 2 :7: “And the Desire 
of all nations shall come.” Evidently then it is Christ 
who is referred to as “the desire of women”; and if so, 
then we have a striking fulfilment of these words in 
Herod’s attempt to murder the infant Messiah. For 
the record given in Matthew 2:1-16 makes it quite clear 


150 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


that Herod’s deliberate purpose was to put to death the 
promised Messiah of Israel. It was for the accomplish¬ 
ment of that purpose that he inquired of the chief priests 
and scribes as to where Christ should be bora. The 
slaughter of the babes of Bethlehem was an act of 
atrocity almost without parallel in history. It was, 
moreover, an event that had been foretold by Jeremiah 
in the words, “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamenta¬ 
tion and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her chil¬ 
dren,” etc. (Jer. 31:51, quoted in Matt. 2:17, 18). 
Each one of those murdered infants was “the desire” 
of his own mother; and thus Herod fulfilled Daniel 11: 
37 in another sense. 

The God op Forces 

Verse 38 reads: “And in his estate,” or for his estab¬ 
lishment, “shall he honour the god of forces,” or god of 
fortresses; “and (or even) a god whom his fathers knew 
not shall he honour, with gold and silver, and precious 
(or costly) stones, and with pleasant (or valuable) 
things. ’ ’ 

Herod’s career affords a most striking fulfilment of 
this verse. The expression, “god of forces, or fort¬ 
resses,” is so unusual that it furnishes a most satisfac¬ 
tory means of identification; for it applies to the Caesars 
as to none others in history, seeing that the Roman em¬ 
perors claimed for themselves divine honors, and that it 
was by “forces,” or “fortifications,” that they extended 
and maintained their power, and enforced the worship 
they demanded. This honor Herod paid to them, and 
after the most extravagant fashion; and he did it, of 
course, in order to make himself secure, that is to say, 
“for his own establishment,” as the text of v. 38 may 
be rendered. This honor paid by Herod, first to Julius 
Caesar, then to Antony, and then to Antony’s conqueror, 
Augustus, was one of the most conspicuous features of 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


151 


Herod’a policy. Josephus records how he sent delega¬ 
tions to Rome, and also to Antony and Cleopatra in 
Egypt, bearing the most costly presents; also how he 
converted the ancient Strato’s Tower into a magnificent 
seaport, and named it Caesarea, in honor of Caesar, and 
how later he rebuilt Samaria, and renamed it Sebaste 
(Sebastos being the equivalent of Augustus), He built 
many other fortified cities and named them in honor of 
Caesar. 

The same subject is continued in verse 39, which 
reads: 4 ‘ Thus shall he do in the most strongholds with a 
strange god whom he shall acknowledge and increase 
with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, 
and shall divide the land for gain,” or “parcel out the 
land for hire.” 

Here we have a reference to one of the most promi¬ 
nent acts of Herod’s long reign, namely, his rebuilding 
of the temple, and his making the temple area a strong¬ 
hold for Caesar. He made the temple the most famous 
building in the world for its dimensions, its magnifi¬ 
cence, and particularly for the size of the stones where¬ 
of it was built, to which the disciples specially directed 
the Lord’s attention (Mk. 13:1), and which Josephus 
says were 25 cubits long, 12 broad, and 8 thick (Ant. 
XV II, 3). But, in rebuilding it, Herod took care to 
convert it into a fortress for his own purposes, this be¬ 
ing the “most stronghold” of the land. As a 
part of this plan he constructed on the north side of the 
temple, and overlooking it, a strong citadel which he 
named the Tower of Antonia, after Mark Antony. 
Josephus says: 

“But for the Tower itself, when Herod the king of the 
Jews had fortified it more firmly than before, in order to 
secure and guard the temple, he gratified Antonius who was 
his friend and the Roman ruler by calling it the Tower of 
Antonia” (Ant. XV. 11:4-7). 


152 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Further this historian says that the fortified places 

“were two, the one belonging to the city itself, the other be¬ 
longing to the temple; and those that could get them into 
their hands had the whole nation under their power , for 
without the command of them it was not possible to offer 
their sacrifices” (Ant. XV. 11:7-8). 

It was from the stairs leading to this famous Tower, 
up which the apostle Paul was being taken by the sol¬ 
diers to save him from the violence of the people, that 
he stilled them by a gesture of his hand, and gained 
their attention by addressing them in the Hebrew tongue 
(Acts 21:34-40). 

Again Josephus says of Herod that, 

“When Caesar had further bestowed upon him another 
additional country, he built there also a temple of white mar¬ 
ble, hard by the fountains of Jordan”; and also “to say all 
at once, there was not any place in his kingdom fit for the 
purpose, that was permitted to be without somewhat that 
was for Caesar’s honour; and when he had filled his own 
country with temples, he poured out like plentiful marks of 
his esteem into his province, and built many cities which he 
called Caesareas ” (Wars I, 21:2). 

In connection with the prediction of what this king 
would do in the chief strongholds ‘ £ with a strange god, ’ 1 
mention should be made of the many images, statues of 
Caesar, which Herod set up to be worshipped in various 
fortified places. He even went so far in his sacrilege 
as to place a huge golden eagle (the adored emblem of 
imperial Rome) at the very gate of the temple, thus giv- 
ing^rise to a tumult and insurrection among the people. 
In this way did he, in his estate (office), “honour the 
god of forces ”(Caesar) whose statues he everywhere 
introduced as objects of worship. He fulfilled with lit¬ 
eral exactness the words, ‘ ‘ Thus shall he do in the most 
strongholds,” (which expression would apply to the 
citadel of the temple, where he erected the Tower of 
Antonia) “with a strange god, whom he shall acknowl¬ 
edge, and increase with glory” (Dan. 11:39). The last 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


153 


clause finds a striking fulfilment in Herod’s extravagant 
pains to glorify Caesar, which, as we have shown, went 
beyond all bounds. 

The words “dividing the land for gain” (or parcel¬ 
ling it out for hire) were fulfilled in the practice adopt¬ 
ed by Herod of parcelling out among persons favorable 
to himself, the land adjacent to places which it was im¬ 
portant for him to control in case of emergency. 
Josephus speaks of this (Ant. XV 8, 5). 

We thus find that every item foretold of “the king” 
was completely fulfilled in the career of Herod, and that 
the record of this fulfilment has come down to us in an 
authentic contemporary history, which is on all hands 
acknowledged to be trustworthy in an unusually high 
degree. 

Other predictions concerning this “king” are given 
in verses 44, 45. These also were fulfilled with literal 
exactness, as will be shown when we come to the exposi¬ 
tion of those verses. 

The Time of the End 

In order to avoid confusion it is needful to observe 
that “the time of the end” may mean one period in one 
place, and a very different period in another. The 
meaning is controlled, and is also revealed, by the con¬ 
text. But this is quite frequently overlooked; and we 
have observed that even careful writers on prophecy 
have a disposition to take the words “the time of the 
end” as meaning the end of the gospel-dispensation, 
even when the passage in which they occur does not 
relate to the present dispensation at all. 

Particularly should it be noted that in the Book of 
Daniel there are two distinct sets of prophecies. The first 
set, found in chapters II, VII and VIII, relate to the 
great Gentile world-powers, and the prophecies of chap- 


154 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


ters II and VII carry us on to the end of the times of the 
Gentiles (chapter VIII gives details of the Greek em¬ 
pire, thus filling in the outline given in the vision of 
chapter VII). But the second series (chapters IX-XII 
inclusive) have to do with the history of Daniel’s own 
people and his holy city. Hence the expression “time 
of the end,” where it occurs in these later prophecies, 
means the last stage of the national existence of Daniel’s 
people, that is to say, the era of the Herods. 

The period of Jewish history occupied by Herod and 
his dynasty was therefore “the time of the end” in the 
sense required by the context; so we have a strong con¬ 
firmation of the view we have been presenting in the 
fact that, just at this point in the prophecy, there is 
given us an outline of those great events (which oc¬ 
curred during the reign of Herod) whereby political 
supremacy in the world was given to the Caesars, and 
all was made ready for the coming of the Redeemer. 
This outline is found in Daniel 11:40-43, and brings us 
to the subjugation of Egypt (the last of the great inde¬ 
pendent monarchies to fall under the spreading power 
of Rome) with the Libyans and Ethiopians. The rec¬ 
ords of history correspond so exactly to the predictions 
of this prophecy (as we shall presently point out) that 
there can be no question at all as to its fulfilment. 

In reading this chapter it is to be remembered that 
the prophecy is not primarily concerned with Syria, 
Egypt, Rome or any other alien power, but that it refers 
to them only insofar as they come in contact with, and 
affect the destinies of, the Jews. 

Caesar Augustus 

Hence these verses (40-43) have a parenthetical char¬ 
acter. They read as follows: 

“And at the time of the end shall a king of the south push 
at him (or with him); and a king of the north shall come 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


155 


against him like a whirlwind with chariots and with horse¬ 
men, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the coun¬ 
tries, and shall overflow, and pass over. He shall enter also 
into the glorious land; and many countries shall he over¬ 
thrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, Edom, and 
Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall 
stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, and the land 
of Egypt shall not escape, but he shall have power over the 
treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things 
of Egypt; and the Libyans and Ethiopians shall be at his 
steps.” 

The events foretold in this part of the prophecy took 
place “at the time of the end”; that is to say they were 
coincident with the last era of Jewish history, the era of 
the Herods. At that time a king of the south (Cleopatra, 
the last to occupy the throne of Egypt, aided by Mark 
Antony) made a push with Herod, who was in league 
with them, against Syria, which had meanwhile become 
a Roman province. This was the beginning of the great 
Actian war. 

As to the manner in which that war began, we have 
a very clear account in Plutarch’s “Life of Mark An¬ 
tony,” by which it appears that the fulfilment of the 
prophecy was marvellously exact, not only as regards 
the manner in which the war began, but also in respect 
to the sides on which the different parties were at first 
engaged in it, in regard also to the outcome, to the pecu¬ 
liar arms—“chariots and horsemen and many ships”— 
by means of which the victories of Augustus were 
achieved, and finally, in regard also to the rapidity of 
his conquest, which was effected within the space of a 
single year. 

“Daniel’s Last Vision” 

Our papers on the eleventh chapter of Daniel, in 
which we identified Herod as “the king” of verse 36, 
and showed that verses 40-43 were fulfilled in the events 
whereby Egypt fell under the all-conquering arms of 
Augustus Caesar, were completed ready for the printer 


156 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


in the early part of 1922. Prior to August of that year 
we were not aware that anyone had previously pointed 
out that the predictions concerning “the king” were 
fulfilled by Herod, or that the fulfilment of the last 
verses of the chapter was to be found in the stirring and 
world-changing events of his reign. 

But in August of 1922 there came into our hands in 
a strange way (which seemed providential) an old book, 
now long out of print, in which, to our great surprise 
and gratification, we found our conclusions as to the 
above matters set forth, and supported by proofs mo^~ 
ample than we ourselves had collected. The book was 
written by James Parquharson, and was printed in 
Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1838. It bears the following 
quaint and lengthy title: Daniel’s Last Vision and 
Prophecy , respecting which Commentators have greatly 
differed from each other, showing its Fulfilment in 
events recorded in authentic history. 

In our comments, which here follow, on verses 40-43, 
we are indebted to this volume for the quotations from 
Plutarch’s Life of Mark Antony, which set the fulfil¬ 
ment of those verses in such a clear light. 

Plutarch’s Description of the Actian War 

The first move in the Actian war was made by An¬ 
tony (at the urgency of Cleopatra), in which he was 
assisted by Herod. Says Plutarch: 

"Antony, being informed of these things” (that is of cer¬ 
tain disputes between Augustus and others in the Senate at 
Rome) “immediately sent Canidus to the seacoast with six¬ 
teen legions. In the meantime he went to Ephesus attended 
by Cleopatra. There he assembled his fleet, which consisted 
of 800 ships of burden, whereof Cleopatra furnished 200 be¬ 
sides 20,000 talents, and provisions for the army.” 

Antony advanced to Athens, with constantly increas¬ 
ing forces, Augustus being wholly unprepared to meet 
him; for says the historian; 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 157 

“When Caesar was informed of the celerity and magnifi¬ 
cence of Antony's preparations, he was afraid of being forced 
into war that summer. This would have been most inconr 
venient for him, for he was in want of almost everything. 
* * * The auxiliary kings who fought under his (Antony’s) 
banner were Bocchus of Africa, &c.—a list being given— 
“Those who did not attend in person, but sent supplies were 
Polemo of Pontus, Malchus of Arabia, Herod of Judea, and 
Amyntas of Lycaonia and Galatia.” 

Thus a king of the south was the first to make a push 
in this war, and he pushed with Herod. As showing the 
accuracy of the prophecy it should be noted that, as 
Plutarch records, the Senate of Rome declared war with 
Cleopatra alone, ignoring Antony, so that it was strictly 
between a king of the north, and a king of the south. 

Mr. Farquharson points out that the predictions of 
the prophet were strictly fulfilled also in respect to the 
character of the forces engaged in the war. For, not¬ 
withstanding that each side assembled large numbers 
of infantry, and notwithstanding that such are the arms 
usually relied upon to decide a war, yet in this case the 
infantry were not engaged at all, the issue being de¬ 
cided (as the prophecy indicates) by chariots and horse¬ 
men, and many ships. 

A strange feature of the affair is that, although An¬ 
tony’s footmen outnumbered those of Augustus, and al¬ 
though his generals urged him to bring the matter to an 
issue in a land battle, nevertheless (to quote again from 
Plutarch)— 

“Such a slave was he to the will of a woman that, to grat¬ 
ify her, though much superior on land, he put his whole con¬ 
fidence In the navy; notwithstanding that the ships had not 
half their complement of men.” 

This brought on the great naval fight of Actium, 
which ended in a complete victory for Augustus; and 
thus did a king of the north come upon a king of the 
south, with the effect of a whirlwind , with many ships. 
A more literal and exact fulfilment of prophecy could 
not be found. 


158 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


But that is not ail. For Plutarch records that, after 
the disaster at Actium, Antony’s infantry deserted him, 
so that the infantry were not engaged during the entire 
war. 

“But," says Farquharson, “when Antony arrived in Egypt, 
and endeavoured to defend it, to fulfil the prediction of the 
Prophet—that the king of the north would come with chariots 
and horsemen, as well as with many ships —there were actions 
with cavalry. For Plutarch says, “When Caesar arrived he 
encamped near the hippodrome (at Alexandria); whereupon 
Antony made a brisk sally, routed the cavalry, drove them 
back into their trenches, and returned to the city with the 
complacency of a conqueror." It was the conduct of their 
fleets and cavalry that sealed the fate of Antony and Cleo¬ 
patra, and left them without resource in their last retreat." 

“The Countries and the Glorious Land” 

The course pursued by Augustus after bis triumph 
over Antony and Cleopatra follows most literally the 
predictions of the prophecy. For he entered into the 
countries, and overflowed, and passed over them, pos¬ 
sessing himself of regions of Africa, Upper Cilicia, 
Paphlagonia, Thrace, Pontus, Galatia, and other prov¬ 
inces from Illyria to Armenia. Moreover “he entered 
also into the glorious land,” that is to say the land of 
Judea, which has already been designated (see v. 16 of 
this chapter) “the glorious land.” For Augustus chose 
to invade Egypt by way of Palestine, at which time 
Herod (who had already with great prudence and fore¬ 
sight made his submission to Augustus, and with such 
skilful diplomacy that it was accepted), rendered him 
much assistance. Josephus says: 

“Caesar went for Egypt through Syria when Herod re¬ 
ceived him with royal and rich entertainments; and then 
did he first of all ride along with Caesar, as he was review¬ 
ing his army about Ptolemais, and feasted him with all his 
friends, and then distributed among the rest of his army 
what was necessary to feast then withal" (Wars I, 20, 3). 

Edom, Moab and Ammon 

The reference in verse 41 to the countries of Edom, 
Moab and Ammon should be enough, without anything 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 159 

further, to show that we must seek the fulfilment of this 
part of the prophecy in Bible times. Those names had a 
geographical significance to Daniel, and to others of his 
day, who would understand by them the mingled peoples 
of the lands adjacent to Judea on the east and south. 
Now it is recorded in history that those countries did 
escape, in a remarkable manner, out of the hand of Au¬ 
gustus, in strong contrast with what the next verse says 
concerning Egypt, “And the land of Egypt shall not 
escape” (v. 42). 

Augustus sent an expedition into the countries re¬ 
ferred to under Aelius Gallus, in which he was joined 
by five hundred of Herod's guards (Josephus, Ant. XV 
9, 3). Dean Prideaux, the well-known commentator, 
refers to this expedition and its failure, citing Pliny, 
Strabo, and Dio Cassius (Prideaux’ Connections. Vol. 
II, pp. 605 et seq.). The Universal History, in a note 
added to their account of the expedition, says: “The 
bad success that attended Aelius in this expedition de¬ 
terred both him and others from any further attempts 
on that country” (Ancient Universal History. Vol. 
XIII, p. 498). 

The Treasures of Egypt 

The prophecy makes special reference to the vast 
treasures of Egypt, saying: “But he shall have power 
over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the 
precious things of Egypt” (v. 43). 

Here again are words which make it perfectly clear 
that the fulfilment of this prophecy must be sought in 
the days of Egypt’s greatness and wealth, and is not to 
be found in the squalid and poverty-stricken Egypt of 
later times, which, according to the sure word of proph¬ 
ecy, was to become “the basest of the kingdoms,” and 
not to exalt itself any more (Ezek. 29:15). 

But in the days of Herod and Mark Antony the treas- 


160 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


ures of Egypt were of fabulous value; and here again 
history furnishes us with such a marvellous fulfilment 
of this item of the prophecy that we can but think the 
records have been providentially cared for. Speaking 
of Cleopatra’s vast and famous treasures of gold, silver 
and precious stones, and other rare and costly objects, 
Farquharson says that “the history of the fate of her 
treasures is very singular, and is worthy of a more de¬ 
tailed reference to it.” 

So he shows how this great treasure had been accu¬ 
mulated during the centuries of the Macedonian rulers 
of Egypt (the Ptolemies), being drawn from the great 
grain trade of the country, and from the very lucrative 
commerce of Alexandria “through which passed the 
gems, pearls, spices, and other rich produce and mer¬ 
chandise of India, which from earliest ages have been in 
high request in the western part of the world.” 

Continuing his account Farquharson says: 

“Augustus Caesar was very desirous of securing the treas¬ 
ures of the sovereign of this wealthy city; but there was, on 
two occasions, the utmost hazard that they should elude his 
grasp. For after Cleopatra fled from the battle of Actium 
Plutarch says, ‘she formed the design of drawing her galleys 
over the isthmus into the Red Sea, and purposed, with all her 
wealth and forces, to seek some remote country.' ” 

That design was abandoned; but— 

“When Caesar afterwards, approaching from Judea, took 
Pelusium and entered Egypt, the same author says, ‘Cleo¬ 
patra had erected near the temple of Isis some monuments of 
extraordinary size and magnificence. To these she removed 
her treasure, her gold, silver, emeralds, preals, ebony, ivory, 
and cinnamon. * * * Caesar was under some apprehensions 
about this immense wealth, lest, upon some sudden emergency, 
she should set fire to the whole. For this reason he was conr 
tinually sending messengers to her with assurances of gen¬ 
erous and honourable treatment, while in the meantime he 
hastened to the city with his army.’ * * * Her person and 
the treasures in the monument were afterwards secured by a 
stratagem, as related by Plutarch; and thus a king of the 
north had power over the treasures of gold and silver, and 
over all the precious things of Egypt” 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


161 


The Libyans and Ethiopans 

The prophecy also says concerning this victorious 
king, ‘‘and the Libyans and Ethiopians shall be at his 
steps ” (v. 43). Commenting on these words Farquhar- 
son says: 

“The conquest of Egypt and maritime Libya laid inner 
Libya and Ethiopia open to the steps, that is, as we may in¬ 
terpret the term, to the inroads of Augustus Caesar, and his 
officers, of which advantage was soon after taken by them.” 

And this author proceeds to show the conquest of the 
countries named in the prophecy, by Cornelius Balbus, 
which was considered so great an achievement that 
Balbus, though not a native Roman, was, contrary to all 
precedent, allowed a triumph. Thus, while Augustus 
did not himself subdue those countries, they were “at 
his steps,” as the prophecy says, at the time he left 
Africa and returned to Rome. 

Thus ancient history, which has been preserved to our 
day, shows to us a series of events of the highest im¬ 
portance in shaping the course of human affairs, which 
events correspond with marvellous exactitude, and in 
just the right sequence, to the several details of the 
prophecy, the entire series having taken place at precise¬ 
ly the era we should look for them to occur, if we take 
the prophecy to be what it appears to be, namely, a con¬ 
tinuous prophetic narrative. If then this be not a fulfil¬ 
ment, there is nothing that can be with certainty recog¬ 
nized as a fulfilment of inspired prophecy. 

Tidings from East and North 

We come now to the last two verses of chapter 11, 
which read thus: 

“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall 
trouble him; therefore he shall go forth with great fury to 
destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant 
the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious 
holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end and none shall 
help him” (Dan. 11:44, 45). 


162 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


It is not at first glance apparent who is the antecedent 
of the pronoun “he” in these verses. But upon close at¬ 
tention to the text it will be seen that we have here a re¬ 
turn to the main subject of this part of the prophecy, 
“the king” of verse 36, the course of the prophecy hav¬ 
ing been diverted in verses 40-43 to the subject of the 
conquests of Augustus Caesar. Very often, in reading 
the Hebrew prophets, we have to look a considerable dis¬ 
tance backwards to find the antecedent of a pronoun. 
As an instance of this Farquharson cites Bishop Horsley 
as saying, in commenting upon Isaiah XVIII, “To 
those to whom the prophetic style in the original is not 
familiar, but to those only, I think, it will appear 
strange that a pronoun should refer to an antecedent at 
so great a distance.” And Farquharson adds: “And 
the correctness of this view of the whole passage is con¬ 
firmed by the literal manner in which the predictions in 
this 44th verse, and in the remaining verse of the chap¬ 
ter, were fulfilled by Herod.” 

Indeed we do not see how any fulfilment could be 
more complete and literal than that which is given us 
in Matthew’s Gospel of the words “But tidings out of 
the east shall trouble him,” For it is written that “When 
Jesus was bora in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of 
Herod the king , behold there came wise men from the 
east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born 
king of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, 
and are come to worship Him. When Herod heard 
these things he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with 
him” (Mat. 2:1-3). So here we have the exact thing 
prophesied, namely, “ tidings out of the east” which 
“troubled him.” 

Nothing was so well calculated to ‘ ‘ trouble ’ ’ Herod as 
reports that some one was aspiring to his throne. In 
this case it is among the most familiar of all facts that 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 163 

Herod, being set at nought by the wise men, from whom 
he sought to learn the identity of the new-born babe, 
“was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all 
the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts 
thereof, from two years old and under” (Mat. 2:16). 
Thus we have almost verbal agreement with the words of 
the prophecy, “he shall go forth, with great fury, to 
destroy and utterly to make away many.” 

At about the same time, that is, in the last years of 
Herod’s life, “tidings out of the north” also came to 
‘ ‘ trouble ’ ’ that self-tormenting monarch. For Antipater, 
his oldest son (a despicable character), then at Rome 
(which had now become the center of what is indefinitely 
called in this prophecy “the north”) conspired to have 
letters written to his father giving information that two 
other of his sons, whom he purposed to make his succes¬ 
sors, had calumniated their father to Caesar. This 
caused Herod again to break forth with intense “fury” 
against his own sons, and their supposed abettors, as re¬ 
lated by Josephus at great length (Ant. XVII 4-7; 
Wars 1:30-33). 

In regard to these extraordinary events, Farquharson 
quotes a passage (which we give below) from the Uni¬ 
versal Ancient History, saying he does so the more read¬ 
ily because the authors of the passage had no thought 
at all of recording a fulfilment of prophecy. They say: 

“The reader may remember that we left Herod in the 
most distracted state that can well be imagined; his con¬ 
science stung with the most lively grief for the murder of his 
beloved and virtuous Mariamne and of her two worthy sons; 
his life and crown in imminent danger from the rebellious 
Antipater, and ungrateful Pheroras; his reign stained with 
rivers of innocent blood; his latter days embittered by the 
treacherous intrigues of a sister; his person and family hated 
by the whole Jewish nation; and last of all, his crown and 
all his glories on the eve of being obscured by the birth of 
a miraculous Child, who is proclaimed by heaven and earth 
to be the promised and long-expected Messiah and Saviour of 
the world. To all these plagues we must add some fresh in - 


164 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


telligcnces which came tumbling in upon that wretched mon¬ 
arch; and which by assuring him still more, not only of the 
treasonable designs of the unnatural Antipater, but also of 
the bitter complaints which his other two sons, then at the 
Roman court, vented against them both, rendered him more 
than ever completely miserable" (Universal History, Vol. X. 
pp. 492, 493). 

Herod’s “great fury” (to use the words of the proph¬ 
ecy) was not confined to the babes of Bethlehem, and 
to members of his own family. For, says Josephus, 
“it was also during paroxysms of fury, that, nearly 
about the same time, he burned alive Matthias and forty 
young men with him, who had pulled down the golden 
image of the Roman eagle, which he had placed over 
the gate of the temple” (Ant. XVII 7). Further¬ 
more Josephus relates the following characteristic action 
of Herod: 

“He came again to Jericho, where he became so choleric, 
that it brought him to do all things .like a madman; and 
though he was near death, yet he contrived the following 
wicked designs: He commanded that all the principal men 
of the entire Jewish nation be called to him. Accordingly 
there were a great number that came, because * * * death 
was the penalty of such that should despise the epistles that 
were sent to call them. And now the king was in a wild rage 
against them all; * * * and when they were come, he ordered 
them all to be shut up in the hippodrome, and sent for his 
sister Salome and her husband Alexas, and spake thus to 
them: ‘I shall die in a little time, so great are my pains; 
* * * but what principally troubles me is this, that I shall die 
without being lamented , and without such a mourning as men 
usually expect at a king’s death.’ " 

Therefore, in order to insure that the nation should be 
plunged into mourning, he left an order that, imme¬ 
diately upon his own death, all those leaders of the Jews, 
whom he had confined in the hippodrome, should be 
slain. That order, however, was not carried out. 

His Palace and His End 

We have already pointed out that Herod placed his 
royal dwelling-places “in the glorious holy mountain,” 
he having two palaces in Jerusalem, one in the temple 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


165 


area, and the other in the upper city. So they were 
“between the seas,” that is, the Mediterranean and the 
Dead Seas. 

The last word of the prophecy concerning him is: 
4 ‘Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” 
As to this we cannot do better than to quote Farquhar- 
son’s comment: 

“This part of the prediction obviously implies that, in 
his last hours, the king would apply for deliverance or remedy, 
from some affliction or disease, but would receive none. And 
how literally was this fulfilled in the end of Herod the Great! 
History has preserved to us few such circumstantial accounts 
of the last days of remarkable men, as that which Josephus 
has transmitted to us of his; but we deem it too long for in¬ 
sertion here. It exhibits the most fearful picture to be found 
anywhere of the end of an impenitent sinner, who, having 
cast out of his heart all fear of God and all feeling of respon¬ 
sibility to Him, had equally lost all sense of duty to man; 
and after committing innumerable crimes and cruelties—in 
which he spared not those connected with him by the dearest 
and tenderest ties, any more than others—was at last seized 
in his old age with a painful and loathsome disease; and suf¬ 
fering alike from that, and from the pangs of guilty fear, yet 
continued in a course of extreme wickedness to his last hour, 
seeking no remedy for his evil passions, but exhausting all 
the resources of the physician’s skill to mitigate his bodily 
distemper and lengthen out his wretched life. We refer to 
Josephus for an account of the remedies and expedients to 
which he had recourse by the advice of his physicians; all 
of which failed to relieve or arrest the disease which cut him 
off while he was meditating new crimes of matchless cruelty.” 

Thus he came to his end, and none helped him. He 
died a prey to horrible diseases, and to horrible remorse, 
just five days after he had ordered the execution of his 
oldest son. 

f 


We have deemed the matter of sufficient importance 
to give to the explanation of this part of the chapter 
(verses 36 to 45) a minute and detailed examination. 
For we are convinced that the theory of a “break” after 
verse 34 (or 35), involving the transference bodily of all 
the rest of the prophecy (including the part contained 


166 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


in chapter 12) to a future day, deranges all that part of 
the prophetic Word which it is important for us to 4 ‘ un¬ 
derstand’ ’ at the present time. Conversely, our belief 
is that, with this important passage correctly settled, 
other things, which have been involved in the general ob¬ 
scurity occasioned by the “break” theory, will be 
cleared up. Indeed we shall not have to go very far to 
find practical proof of this. 

And now that we have reviewed the evidences which 
point to Herod the Great as the “king” foretold in this 
passage, our wonder is that any careful students of 
prophecy could have missed so plain a mark. For the 
passage foretells that, at a definite point in Jewish his¬ 
tory, namely, just at the close of the Asmonean era, 
there should arise (what had not been in Israel for near¬ 
ly five hundred years) a “king”; and the character and 
doings of this king (which are of a most unusual sort) 
are predicted in strong and clear words. In perfect 
agreement with this, as fully recorded in the Bible and 
in profane history, is the fact that, precisely at the 
point indicated, there did arise one who became “king” 
over Daniel's people, which king had precisely the char¬ 
acter, and did precisely the things which the prophecy 
had foretold of him. 

Let it be noted that at verse 35 we reach the end of 
the Asmonean era, as nearly all commentators have 
clearly perceived. But the history of the renewed Jew¬ 
ish nation did not end there, and neither does the proph¬ 
ecy end there. What was next? In the history of the 
Jewish people the next and last stage was occupied by a 
a king , whose character was one of the most detestable, 
and whose doings were among the most atrocious, of 
any that have been recorded in the annals of the human 
race, he being, moreover, the only “king” over the Jew¬ 
ish nation in all this long period of more than 500 years. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


167 


In perfect agreement with this we find that the next 
section of the prophecy, which also is the last, is occu¬ 
pied with a description of the character and doings of 
one who is simply designated as “the king.” Further¬ 
more, upon comparing the records of history with the 
detailed statements of the prophecy, we find an answer 
in each and every particular. We would not know 
where to look for a more complete and literal fulfilment 
of prophecy. 

Again we would point out that, considering the nature 
and purpose of this prophecy, as divinely announced in 
chapter 10:14, and as manifested in verses 1 to 35 of 
chapter 11, it is simply impossible that “Herod the 
king” should not have a place, and a prominent place, 
in it. And even so in fact we find him there, just at the 
right place, and described with such detail and accuracy 
as to make it an easier matter to identify him, when we 
have the facts of history before us, than to identify any 
of the other notable characters to whom the prophecy 
refers. 

It would seem that, in regard to this exceedingly plain 
matter, some sound and able teachers have been misled 
through having accepted the idea of a “break” in the 
preceding prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, to which (as 
we have pointed out) that of chapter 11 and 12 is a sup¬ 
plement. That made it easy to surmise a similar 
“break” in chapter 11 when they came to a personage 
whom, through their not having in mind the records of 
sacred and profane history, they failed to identify. We 
are confident, however, that no unbiased persons, after 
considering what we have presented above, will doubt 
that “the king” whose portrait is given in this passage 
is Herod the Great. 


CHAPTER X 


Michael the Great Prince. The Time of Trouble. 

Many Awakening. Many Running To and Fro. 

Knowledge Increased. How Long the End? 

The first four verses of Daniel 12 should not be dis¬ 
connected from chapter 11, for they are an integral part 
of the prophecy, there being no break at all at the place 
where the chapter division has been made. These con¬ 
cluding verses of the prophecy read as follows: 

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great 
prince which standeth for the children of thy people, and 
there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since 
there was a nation even to that same time; and at that 
time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall 
be found written in the book. 

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the 
earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to 
shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise 
(lit. cause to be wise) shall shine as the brightness of the 
firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as 
the stars for ever and ever. But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up 
the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end; 
many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be 
increased. ’ ’ 

These are the last words of the long prophecy, and 
they bring it to an appropriate climax. They tell what 
will happen “at that time emphasizing this by repeti¬ 
tion. This expression connects the passage directly with 
verse 40 of the preceding chapter, where the words “at 
the time of the end” occur. The same words are re¬ 
peated in verse 4 of chapter 12, just quoted. There is, 
therefore, no room to doubt that the events here fore- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 169 

told were to occur during the very last stage of “the 
latter days” of Jewish history. Moreover, the state¬ 
ment of verse 7, that when the power of the holy peo¬ 
ple should be scattered, then all these things should be 
finished, absolutely confines the fulfilment of the entire 
prophecy to the period anterior to the capture of Jeru¬ 
salem by Titus. We specially ask attention to the great 
oath recorded in this verse, and trust that our readers 
will not miss the meaning of it. 

Four things are specified in the passage last quoted. 
They are: 

First. The standing up of Michael, the great prince 
who stands for the children of Daniel’s people. 

Second. A time of trouble such as never was, at 
which time those found written in the book were to 
escape. 

Third. Many to awake from the dust of the earth, 
some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlast¬ 
ing contempt, in which connection is given a great prom¬ 
ise to those who cause to be wise, and who turn many to 
righteousness. 

Fourth. Many to run to and fro, and knowledge to 
be increased. 

Michael the Prince 

Many able and sound expositors hold that Michael is 
one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ, and hence 
that this part of the prophecy was fulfilled by His first 
coming. But the reasons that have been advanced in 
support of this view do not seem to us sufficient to estab¬ 
lish it. This prophecy makes several references to 
great angelic beings, which are deeply interesting. 
Thereby it appears that national destinies are in some 
way presided over, and shaped, by mighty angels; and 
that Michael is specially charged to care for the interests 
of the people of God. 


110 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Jude speaks of ‘ 4 Michael the archangel ’ ’ as contending 
with the devil about the body of Moses (Jude 9); and 
in Revelation 12:7, Michael is again seen in conflict with 
the devil. Paul mentions the archangel (without nam¬ 
ing him) as having to do with the resurrection of the 
saints (1 Th. 4:16). 

In Daniel there are three references to Michael, all 
in this prophecy given by the angel who appeared to 
Daniel on the banks of the Tigris. The first reference 
is in chapter 10:13, where the angel says that the prince 
of the kingdom of Persia had withstood him, but Michael, 
one of the chief princes, came to his aid. Again in the 
same chapter (vv. 20, 21) are the words: “And now I 
will return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when 
I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come 
. . . . And there is none that holdeth with me in 

these things, but Michael your prince. ’ ’ 

From these words it appears that the political desti¬ 
nies of the great heathen nations of earth are presided 
over by mighty beings, who are rebels against the author¬ 
ity of God, high potentates in the Kingdom of Satan. 
None of those angelic beings stands for God “in these 
things”— i. e., the affairs of the world —except Michael, 
the archangel. This is in accord with the words of the 
Lord Jesus who speaks of the devil as “the prince of 
this world” (John 14:30, etc.). 

Commenting upon Daniel 10:20, 21, Dr. Taylor says: 

“Then resuming his former theme the heavenly re- 
vealer indicated that he had to return to fight again 
with the Persian evil angel, and that while he was go¬ 
ing forth for (or continuing) that conflict, the prince of 
Grecia would come, and a new battle would begin with 
him, in which the representative of God’s people would 
be left to his own resources, with the single exception 
of the assistance of Michael. 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 171 

‘ ‘ This description of the conflicts in the spirit-world 
between the rival angels foreshadows the opposition en¬ 
countered by Zerubabel, Ezra, Nehemiah and their com¬ 
patriots during the reigns of the Persian kings Darius 
Hystaspes, Xerxes and Artaxerxes, and also that which, 
at a later time, the descendants of the restorers of Jeru¬ 
salem met with at the hands of the Syrian representatives 
of the Greek Empire. It prepares the way, therefore, 
for the literal statements which follow (in the eleventh 
chapter) and from which we learn that, while the Per¬ 
sian kingdom lasted, the enmity of the World-power to 
the people of God would be largely restrained, and the 
monarchs would be either positively favorable to them, 
or at least indisposed to harm them. But with the 
Grecian Empire, especially in one of the four divisions 
into which it was to be broken up, a different course 
would be pursued, and the descendants of Israel would 
be reduced by it, for a season, to the most terrible ex¬ 
tremities. ’’ 

There is no revelation of the precise part taken by 
Michael, the great prince, in the affairs of God’s people 
in the critical days to which this part of the prophecy 
relates, that is to say, the beginning of New Testament 
times; for Michael is not mentioned by name in the Gos¬ 
pels or Acts. But it was a time of manifest angelic ac¬ 
tivity; and we may be sure that Michael had a leading 
part in the events which were connected with the coming 
of Christ into the world. Moreover, we read that “the 
angel of the Lord” appeared several times to Joseph; 
that “the angel of the Lord” came to the shepherds on 
Bethlehem’s plain, announcing the birth of the Saviour; 
that “the angel of the Lord” opened the prison doors, 
setting the apostles free (Acts 5:9), and again released 
Peter from the prison, into which he had been cast by 
Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:7); that the same “angel of 


172 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


the Lord” smote that king upon his throne when, upon 
a great public occasion, he gave not glory to God (Acts 
12:23) ; and the same angel came to Paul at the time of 
the great shipwreck with God’s message of deliverance 
(Acts 27:23). If this “angel of the Lord” was 
Michael, then we have many instances of his “standing 
up,” in behalf of the people of God “at that time.” 
But especially at the great crisis of danger—the siege 
of Jerusalem by the Roman armies, which was particu¬ 
larly and definitely revealed to Daniel—would there be 
need of intervention by those celestial beings who “ex¬ 
cel in strength, ’ ’ and no doubt Michael then ‘ 4 stood up ’ ’ 
for the deliverance of Daniel’s people, even on behalf of 
‘ ‘ as many as were found written in the book. ’ ’ 

It should be stated, in this connection, that the expres¬ 
sion “written in the book” had been known since the 
days of Moses (Ex. 32:32) as a figurative description of 
those whom the Lord acknowledges as His own. 

A Time of Trouble Such as Never Was 

The prediction of “a time of trouble such as never 
was since there was a nation even to that same time,” 
is the last thing in the chain of national events revealed 
in this prophecy; and in perfect agreement with 
it is the well-known fact that the Jewish nation 
came to its end with a time of tribulation, distress and 
sufferings, of a severity beyond anything that was ever 
heard since the world began. Of this period of unparal¬ 
leled tribulation Josephus says, in the introduction of 
his Wars of the Jews:— 

“It had come to pass that our city Jerusalem had arrived 
at a higher degree of felicity than any other city under the 
Roman government, and yet at last fell into the sorest of 
calamities again. Accordingly it appears to me that the mis¬ 
fortunes of all men from the beginning of the 1 world , if they 
be compared to those of the Jews , are not so considerable as 
they were” 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


173 


The sufferings of the Jews had this peculiar charac¬ 
teristic, namely, that they were mostly inflicted upon 
themselves by the warring factions within the city, con¬ 
cerning whom Josephus says in another place:— 

“It is impossible to go distinctly over every instance of 
these men’s iniquity. I shall, therefore, speak my mind here 
at once briefly: That neither did any other city ever suffer 
such miseries , nor did any age ever treed a generation more 
fruitful in wickedness than this was , from the beginning of 
the world ” (Wars V. 10:5). 

This causes one to surmise that Josephus was aware 
of the very words in which the Lord Jesus Christ fore¬ 
told the calamity that was to fall upon that wicked gen¬ 
eration, when He said, “For there shall be great trib¬ 
ulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world 
to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Mat. 24:21). 

This “great tribulation” is commonly in our day as¬ 
signed to the future; and this view was held by the 
present writer himself until he made a personal study 
of the question. Our observations on this point, how¬ 
ever, belong to the second division of our subject, the 
Lord’s Prophecy on Mt. Olivet (Matthew 24), so we will 
only say at present that so conclusive to our mind is the 
proof that the ‘ ‘ great tribulation ’ ’ of Matthew 24:21 was 
the then approaching siege of Jerusalem, that we are 
bound to believe that competent teachers who relegate it 
to the future have never examined and weighed the 
evidence. 

Mr. Farquharson on this point says as follows: 

“Our Saviour certainly referred to the tribulations attend¬ 
ant on the fearful destruction of Jerusalem and the disper¬ 
sion of the Jewish people by the Roman arms under Titus; 
and when we understand Daniel’s time of trouble as belong¬ 
ing to the same events, . . . then the whole of his proph¬ 

ecy in this twelfth chapter can be easily demonstrated to 
have received a signal and complete fulfilment in the Advent 
of Christ, in the deliverance wrought by Him. ... in 
the awakening of men from the death of sin. ... in the 
prophecy itself not being understood until explained by Christ 
(and then not understood by the unbelieving Jews, but un- 


174 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


derstood by the Christian converts), in the continued im¬ 
penitence and increasing wickedness of the unbelieving Jews, 
in the judgments at last sent upon them in the Roman war, 
in the duration of that war, and in the immediate abatement 
of the sufferings attending it upon Titus’ getting unexpected 
possession of the last strongholds of Jerusalem.” 

In the last clause of the above quotation the author 
had in mind the words of Christ ‘ ‘ and except those days 
should be shortened there should no flesh be saved” 
(Mat. 24:22), upon all of which deeply interesting mat¬ 
ters we hope to comment in the second part of our work. 

Many Awakening Out of the Dust 

The words 4 ‘and many that sleep in the dust of the 
earth shall awake,’ ’ etc. are commonly taken as referring 
to the bodily resurection of the dead, and this is one 
reason why the entire passage is frequently relegated to 
the future. But there is nothing said here about either 
death or resurrection. On the other hand, it can be 
abundantly shown that the words “sleep” and “awake” 
are common figurative expressions for the condition of 
those who are at first oblivious to the truth of God, but 
who are aroused by a message from Him out of that con¬ 
dition. Isaiah describes the people of Israel as being un¬ 
der the influence of “the spirit of deep sleep” (Isa. 29: 
10); and again he says, “the people that walked in dark¬ 
ness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land 
of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined ’ ’ 
(Isa. 9:2), which words are declared by the evangelist 
to have been fulfilled by the personal ministry of Christ 
in Israel (Mat. 4:14-16). Paul paraphrases another 
word of Isaiah (60:1) as having the meaning, “Awake 
thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ 
shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14). And the Lord Him¬ 
self declared that the era of this spiritual awakening had 
come, when He said, “The hour is coming, and now is, 
when the dead shall hear the voice r the Son of God, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 175 

and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25). In both 
these last two passages the reference is to those who were 
spiritually dead, as all would agree. 

The whole nation of Israel was “awakened” out of a 
sleep of centuries through the ministry of John the Bap¬ 
tist, followed by that of the Lord Himself, and lastly 
by that of the apostles and evangelists, who “preached 
the gospel unto them with the Holy Ghost sent down 
from heaven.” It will be observed that the prophecy 
does not indicate that those who are “awakened” shall 
all be saved. On the contrary, it says that for some the 
awakening would be “to everlasting life,” and for 
others “to shame and everlasting contempt.” In agree¬ 
ment with this is the fact which the Gospels so clearly 
set forth that, although multitudes came to John’s bap¬ 
tism, and “all men mused in their hearts concerning 
him, ’ ’ and while multitudes also followed Christ because 
of the miracles done by Him, and for the sake of the 
loaves and fishes, yet the outcome was that Israel was 
divided into two classes, those who “received Him,” and 
those who “received Him not.” Thus “there was a 
division because of Him.” His own words distinguish 
the two classes: “He that believeth on Him is not con¬ 
demned ; but he that believeth not is condemned already, 
because he hath not believed on the Name of the only- 
begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). The former class 
awoke to “everlasting life” (v. 16), and the latter “to 
shame and everlasting contempt” (v. 36). 

To the same effect the apostle John writes: “Never¬ 
theless, among the chief rulers also many believed on 
Him; but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess 
Him, lest they should be put out of the Synagogue. For 
they loved the praise of men, more than the praise of 
God” (John 12:42, 43). These, though awakened, re¬ 
fused to meet Christ’s simple conditions of salvation by 


176 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


confessing Him (Mat. 10:32); therefore they awoke un¬ 
to ‘‘shame,” even as He Himself declared, when He 
said: “For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me, and of 
My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, 
when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Fa¬ 
ther’s, and of the holy angels” (Lu. 9:26). 

The next verse of the prophecy strongly confirms the 
view we are now presenting; for there we have mention 
of the reward of those who ‘ ‘ cause to be wise, ’ ’ and who 
“turn many to righteousness.” What class of persons 
could possibly be meant but those who spread the truth 
of the gospel? There are none others, and never will 
be others, who cause their fellows to be “wise” unto 
salvation, and “who turn many” from sin “to right¬ 
eousness.” Seeing, therefore, that we have the awaken¬ 
ing foretold in verse 2 connected closely with a clear 
reference to those who preach the gospel of Christ, we 
have good reason to conclude that the passage had its 
fulfilment in that great and wonderful era of Jewish 
national existence, “the time of the end” thereof, dur¬ 
ing which Christ was announced and manifested, was 
rejected and crucified, was raised up and glorified, and 
finally was preached to the whole nation in the power o!‘ 
the Holy Ghost. 

The nature of the reward promised to those “who 
cause to be wise” and “who turn many to righteous¬ 
ness” helps also to illustrate the meaning of the passage. 
These are to shine as the brightness of the firmament, 
and as the stars forever and ever. This reminds us 
that the people of God are to let their light shine before 
men, and that they are “the light of the world.” In hold¬ 
ing forth the word of life they “shine as lights in the 
world.” Once they were darkness, but now are they 
“light in the Lord”; and their reward shall be to shine 
as the stars for ever and ever; for as “one star differ- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


177 


eth from another star in glory, so also is the resurrection 
of the dead” (1 Cor. 15:41, 42). 

Many Shall Run To and Fro 

Various meanings have been assigned to the words 
“many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be 
increased. ’ ’ These words bring the prophecy to an end; 
and it is not difficult to see the resemblance they bear to 
the final words of the first Gospel, “Go ye, teach (or 
make disciples of) all nations.” Another Gospel records 
their obedience to this command; for it is written that 
“They went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord 
working with them” (Mk. 16:20). 

The word “run” in Daniel 12:4 is not the usual word 
for the action of running. Strong’s Concordance says 
it means primarily to push, hence to travel or go about. 
What helps fix the meaning is that, in nearly all its oc¬ 
currences in the Bible, it is joined, as here, with the 
words “to and fro,” which signify a complete covering 
of the ground. Thus, the prophet said to King Asa, 
“The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the 
whole earth” (2 Chr. 16 :9). Jeremiah says, “Bun ye to 
and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, 
and know, and seek,” &c. (Jer. 5:1) ; and again, “La¬ 
ment, and run to and fro by the hedges” (49 :3). Amos 
says, ‘ ‘ They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the 
Lord, and shall not find it” (Am. 8:12), this being just 
the reverse of the Word of the Lord seeking after them. 
Zechariah also has the expression, “They are the eyes of 
the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth” 
(Zech. 4:10), signifying His discerning presence in 
every place. 

By these Scriptures, therefore, it appears that the 
words we are considering are most appropriate to de¬ 
scribe that world-wide activity in spreading the truth 


178 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


of the gospel which the Lord specially pressed upon His 
disciples, and to which the apostle Paul refers in the 
words, “How shall they believe in Him of whom they 
have not heard, and how shall they hear without 
a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be 
sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them 
that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings 
of good things” (Rom. 10:14, 15, quoting Isa. 52:7). 
The gospel messenger is frequently figured as one who 
runs, because of the urgency of the tidings he bears 
(Hab. 2:2, 3). 

And what was the purpose, and what the result of this 
going forth of the disciples to every part of the world 
with the gospel ? It was the increase of knowledge; and 
certainly, in such a prophecy, it is the knowledge of the 
true God that is spoken of (John 17:4; 1 Cor. 15:34; 
Col. 1:10). The world lay in the darkness of ignorance. 
Paul describes those times as “the times of this igno¬ 
rance,” wherein even the cultivated Athenians erected 
an altar to “the Unknown God” (Acts 17:23-30) ; and 
God Himself had said, even of the Jews, “My people 
are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). Thus 
we see the direct relation of the two clauses, “Many 
shall run to and fro,” and “knowledge shall be in¬ 
creased,” and how both are clearly fulfilled in the activi¬ 
ties of the first gospel preachers. 

As to this Mr. Farquharson remarks: 

“The Divine ‘knowledge,’ which the apostles and first 
Christians ran to and fro to communicate to all nations, 
maintains, and ever will maintain, a lofty and unapproach¬ 
able superiority over all the knowledge that man can dis¬ 
cover for himself, ... In this way then the prediction 
of Daniel was literally fulfilled. The day-spring of true 
knowledge from on high waited upon the footsteps of the 
apostles of Christ, as they traversed the Gentile world, dis¬ 
pelling darkness, and doubt and fear, and diffusing light, and 
confidence and joy over every condition of human life.” 

Thus understood, the words, “many shall run to and 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


179 


fro, and knowledge shall be increased, , ’ bring the proph¬ 
ecy to a most appropriate conclusion, and one that is 
strictly in keeping with its announnced purpose, and 
with its purport as a whole; whereas, to make those 
words refer to the multiplication of rapidly moving con¬ 
veyances, as railroad-trains, automobiles, etc., and to the 
spread of “education” by means of schools, colleges, 
and books, is to introduce into the prophecy an element 
that is incongruous, almost to the point of absurdity. 

How Long the End? 

With verse 4 of chapter 12, the long prophecy, which 
had proceeded without interruption, and without pass¬ 
ing over any important event in the history of “the 
latter days” of the Jewish people, comes to an end. But 
a remarkable incident follows, and it affords help to the 
understanding of this part of the prophecy. At this 
point Daniel looked and beheld two others besides the 
one clothed in linen, which two were standing the one 
on the one side, and the other on the other side of the 
bank of the river (the Tigris). And thereupon one of 
these two put to the man who was clothed in linen a 
question, to which evidently it was desired that special 
attention be paid. Furthermore, the reply was given 
by the man in linen in the most solemn and impressive 
manner; for in replying he held up both hands to heav¬ 
en, and sware by Him Who liveth for ever. This further 
goes to show that we have here a matter of exceptional 
importance. Let us then give special heed to it. 

The question was, “How long the end of these won¬ 
ders?” In quoting it thus we have omitted the words, 
“shall it be to,” which the translators have supplied, 
and which materially change the sense. We have seen 
that the expression “the time of the end” means, not 
the actual termination, but the period of time at the 


180 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


very end, the last stage of the entire era of the renewed 
national life of Israel. Evidently it is the duration of 
that “time of trouble,” spoken of in verse 1, and con¬ 
cerning which the Lord Himself when on earth was so 
deeply distressed and grieved, as we shall point out more 
particularly hereafter. It is the same period as that to 
which He was referring when He said, “these be the 
days of vengeance that all things that are written may be 
fulfilled” (Lu. 21:22); and again, “And except those 
days be shortened there should no flesh be saved, but 
for the elects’ sake those days shall he shortened” (Mat. 
24:22). So it is concerning the duration of those days 
of unparalleled distress for Israel that the question was 
asked. 

Let us then note carefully the reply of the one clothed 
in linen, which was in these words, “that it shall be for 
a time, times, and a half (or a part, marg.) ; and when 
He shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the 
holy people, all these things shall be finished” (v. 7). 

Here we have information, very clearly stated, which, 
if we give heed thereto, will make perfectly plain to us 
the time when this entire prophecy was to he fulfilled. 
For the celestial messenger, in answering the question, 
made known first what would be the duration of the clos¬ 
ing period of “trouble such as never was,” and second 
what was to be the end of the whole series of events, “all 
these things,” predicted in the entire prophecy. The 
words are clear and precise. They tell us that the last 
act of all was to be the scattering of the power of the 
holy people, and that when God had accomplished that , 
then would “all these things be finished.” To the same 
effect are the words of Christ, Who, in telling His disci¬ 
ples what the very end of those “days of vengeance” 
would be, said that, “they shall be led away captive in¬ 
to all nations” (Lu. 21:24). 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 181 

This makes it certain that the entire prophecy spoken 
to Daniel by the one clothed in linen, including the time 
of trouble such as never was, and the awakening of many 
from the dust of the earth, was fulfilled at and prior to 
the destruction of Jerusalem, and the scattering of the 
power of the holy people by the Romans in A. D. 70. 
It also affords substantial help in understanding the 
Lord’s discourse on Mount Olivet, to which we will 
shortly come. 

A Time, Times and a Part 

But before the scattering of the holy people—a judg¬ 
ment which Moses had predicted (see Deut. 28:49-68, 
and particularly the words, “And the Lord shall scatter 
thee among all people, from the one end of the earth 
even to the other,” v. 64)—a certain period of extreme 
distress, “the days of vengeance,” was to run. This is 
given by the angel as “ a time, times, and a part, ’ ’ which 
is understood by nearly all expositors to be three full 
years and a part (not necessarily the half) of a fourth. 
But no event was mentioned from which this era of three 
years and a fraction was to run. So Daniel says, “I 
heard, but I understood not”; and therefore he asks, 
‘‘ What shall be the end of these things ? ’ ’ 

In replying to this question the one clothed in linen 
gave information additional to that asked for; but. we 
will notice first what he said in direct reply to Daniel’s 
question. This is found in verses 11, 12, where we read: 
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be 
taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate 
set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety 
days. Blessed is he that waiteth ( i . e., survives, or en¬ 
dures) and cometh to the thousand three hundred and 
five and thirty days. }> 

It is to be noted that the two measures of time here 
given, 1290 days and 1335 days, both fall within the pe- 


182 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


riod of three years and a part, given in verse 7 as the 
full measure of the time of the end. This tends still 
further to confirm the view that by “a time, times, and 
a part” is meant three full rounds of the annual feasts 
of the Jews, and part of a fourth. 

It will further be seen from this answer that Daniel’s 
question had reference to the very last epoch of Jewish 
history; for it was in that very last stage of their na¬ 
tional existence that the daily sacrifice was caused to 
cease, which was by them regarded (when it came to 
pass in the days of the siege of Jerusalem as we shall 
presently show) the harbinger of some dire calamity. 

The Taking Away of the Daily Sacrifice 

We take the marginal reading (which is the more lit¬ 
eral) as giving the sense, the words of the margin being 
“and to set up the abomination,” &c. This reading 
would make the 1290 days the measure of time between 
the two specified events. But we have lately seen an in¬ 
terpretation, based on the text of the A. V., which makes 
the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and the setting up 
of the abomination that maketh desolate, simultaneous 
events, both governed by the preposition “from.” But 
this obviously leaves the verse without meaning; for it 
gives a measure of time from two specified events, with¬ 
out stating to what that measure brings us. 

The ‘ ‘ daily sacrifice 9 ’ was the sacrifice of a lamb every 
morning and evening. This was to be kept up by the 
children of Israel throughout all their generations, and 
a special promise was given upon condition that this of¬ 
fering be continued (Ex. 29:38-45). (It should be ob¬ 
served that the causing of the sacrifice and oblation to 
cease, as foretold in Daniel 9:27, is a very different 
thing.) 

Now, as a matter of historic fact, the daily sacrifice 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


183 


was taken away during the siege of Jerusalem; and this 
was counted by the Jews an event of such importance, 
and such a portent of approaching disaster, that Jose¬ 
phus has recorded the very date on which it occurred, 
saying: 

“And now Titus gave orders to his soldiers that were with 
him to dig up the foundations of the tower of Antonia, and 
make a ready passage for his army to come up, while he him¬ 
self had Josephus brought to him; for he had been informed 
that, on that very day, which was the seventeenth day of 
Panemus , the sacrifice called ‘the daily sacrifice’ had failed, 
and had not been offered to God for want of men to offer it; 
and that the people were grievously troubled at it” (Wars, 
VI. 2.1.). 

The Roman army, which, by comparison of the Lord’s 
words in Matthew 24:15, 16 and Luke 21:20, 21, is 
clearly seen to be “the abomination which maketh deso¬ 
late,” encompassed Jerusalem before the failure of the 
daily sacrifice; whereas it might appear from the word¬ 
ing of the prophecy that those events occurred in the re¬ 
verse order. But Mr. Farquharson shows that “there 
is nothing whatever in the verbs of the sentence to indi¬ 
cate which of the events should precede the other; the 
interval of time between them only is expressed.” 

The first approach of the Roman armies under Cestius 
is described by Josephus in his book of Wars, II 17, 10. 
This was in the month corresponding to our November, 
A. D. 66. The taking away of the daily sacrifice was in 
the month Panemus, corresponding to the Hebrew 
Tamuz, and our July, A. D. 70 (Hartwell Horne’s 
Chronological Table). Thus the measure of time be¬ 
tween the two events was three years, and part of a 
fourth. 

But more than this: the measure 1290 days is exactly 
43 great months (30 days each, according to the Hebrew 
method of reckoning), and inasmuch as their practice 
was to reckon by even weeks, months, and years the ful- 


184 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


filment of this part of the prophecy is seen in the fact 
that it is just 43 even months between the two events, 
ignoring the parts of the two months in which the events 
severally occurred. 

In verse 12 those are pronounced ‘ ‘ blessed, ’ ’ or happy, 
who survive a further period of 45 days, and thus come 
to the 1335 days. In correspondence with this is the 
recorded fact that, about a month and a half after the 
daily sacrifice failed, the siege was ended by Titus get¬ 
ting sudden and unexpected possession of the upper 
city, the last stronghold of the besieged. This last action 
took place, according to Josephus, the seventh day of 
the Hebrew month Elul, answering to our September; 
so that the further duration of the siege after the failure 
of the daily sacrifice was approximately one month and 
a half (Wars, VI 8, 4, 5). 

That those days were “shortened” (as the Lord had 
promised) by some Divine interference, is indicated by 
the abrupt and unexpected manner in which the last 
stronghold fell. Josephus tells how the “tyrants” (the 
dominant faction in the city) 

“Did now wholly deprive themselves of the security they 
had in their own power, and came down from those very 
towers of their own accord, wherein they could never have 
been taken by force. * * * They left those towers of them¬ 
selves; or rather they were ejected out of them hy God Him¬ 
self. * * * The Romans, when they had gotten on the last wall 
without any bloodshed, could hardly believe what they found 
to be true” (ibid). 

As regards the promised hlessing of verse 12 (Dan. 
12), it may be observed that Titus immediately extended 
clemency to the survivors and he set free those who had 
been bound by the tyrants (Wars, VI, 9, 1). 

But we agree with Farquharson that blessing of a 
higher sort is here intended. For we would recall words 
of like import spoken by the Lord when, referring to 
the same period of unequalled distress, He said, “But 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


185 


he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be 
saved” (Mat. 24:13). As to this Mr. F. says: 

“Unquestionably this is His promise to the faithful and 
persevering and obedient in all ages of His Church; but, as 
being comprehended in His prediction of the destruction of 
Jerusalem, it has special reference to those who should endure 
under the trials peculiar to the last great war, in which that 
city was to be trodden down. Those trials, He intimated, 
would be very severe. He said, ‘There shall arise false 
Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and 
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall de¬ 
ceive the very elect’.” 

But to those who should endure all those trials there 
was the assurance of special blessing. 

In concluding our comments under this heading we 
would observe that, in Daniel’s deep concern regarding 
this time of “the end,” as to which he inquired with 
such anxiety, we see a further and a convincing reason 
for the view that the period in question was that of the 
unparalleled calamities which were to accompany the 
extinction of his nation and the destruction of the be¬ 
loved city, as foretold also in the preceding prophecy of 
the Seventy Weeks. It is most unlikely that Daniel 
would have evinced such concern regarding the end of 
some far-off Gentile dispensation characterized by the 
wide diffusion of secular knowledge, and by the many 
automobiles and other swiftly moving conveyances of 
this present time. Daniel had the spirit of the Lord 
Himself in showing acute sorrow because of the un¬ 
equalled distresses which were to befall his people and 
their holy city and temple. 

The Period of Three and a Half Years 

In commenting upon the period of three and a half 
years, and upon the various theories to which it has 
given rise, Dr. Taylor says: 

“We cannot pass this note of number without remark¬ 
ing on the singular coincidences presented by its fre¬ 
quent occurrence both in history and prophecy. The 


186 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


drought in the days of Elijah lasted three years and six 
months. The little horn which appeared on the head of 
the fourth beast was to have the saints given into his 
hands ‘ until a time, and times, and the dividing of time. ’ 
The public ministry of the Messiah was to continue for 
half a week (or heptad) of years; that is, for three years 
and a half. His Gospel was to be preached to the Jews 
after His ascension for another half heptad before it 
was proclaimed to the Gentiles. Then, in the Book of 
Revelation, it is said that the woman shall be nourished 
in the wilderness ‘for a time and times and a half a 
time/ and that the holy city should be trodden under 
foot forty and two months, which are three and a half 
years.* 

“Now all these are marvellous coincidences, and they 
point to the existence of some hidden harmony which 
has not yet been discovered. I might add that three and 
a half is the half of the number seven, which (found in 
the week) has been recognized as the symbol of com¬ 
pleteness. The sacred lamp has seven branches; the 
seventh was the Sabbatic year; and at the end of seven 
sevens came the Jubilee. So also the seventy years of 
the captivity were made the basis of the seven seventies 
of years which were to run their course from the time 
when the edict to rebuild Jerusalem went forth until the 
appearance of the Messiah upon the earth. I do not 
know what to make of all this. I frankly acknowledge 
that it baffles me to find a reason for it. I merely state 
the fact, and leave you to ponder it for yourselves, that 
you may learn how much there is, not only in prophecy, 
but also in history, which lies beyond our ken * * * 

* Also God’s two witnesses (Rev. 11:3) are to prophecy 
a thousand two hundred and three score days (the same 
period stated in terms of days): and of the ten-horned 
Beast it is said that power would be given unto him to con¬ 
tinue forty and two months. (Rev. 13:5.) 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


187 


If any choose to regard all this as being not only ap¬ 
plicable to Antiochus, but also through him, as typical 
of the New Testament Antichrist, and should take the 
days of the history of the one for years in the history of 
the other, I have only to say that I find nothing, either 
here or in the New Testament, to sanction such a proce¬ 
dure. For me, the interpretation which I have endeav¬ 
ored to give is sufficient. They who go further leave the 
domain of certainty for that of speculation, and the very 
number of their conflicting opinions is a warning to 
every expositor not to venture beyond his depth into 
these dark waters. For myself, I am content to stand 
upon the shore and wait, like him to whom were first ad¬ 
dressed these reassuring words, ‘Go thy way; for thou 
shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. ’ ’ ’ 


CHAPTER XI 

“The Wise Shall Understand.” Have These 
Prophecies a Future Application 

We have reserved verses 9 and 10 until now, in order 
that we might deal with all the time-measures together. 
So we come finally to the answer given to Daniel’s ques¬ 
tion (v. 8), “What shall be the end of these things?” 
But it was not for Daniel to know this; for the reply 
was: “Go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed and 
sealed up till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, 
and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wick¬ 
edly ; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the 
wise shall understand.” 

Here is one of those cases spoken of by Peter, where 
the prophet searched and enquired diligently what the 
Spirit of Christ did signify; and where it was not given 
him to know the things which were testified beforehand. 
For while Daniel was made to understand much of what 
was to transpire during the second period of Jewish his¬ 
tory, there were matters connected with the final stage 
thereof which were to be sealed up until the time should 
be fulfilled, when Christ Himself should reveal them— 
and then not to all, but only to “the wise.” 

In this view of the passage we can clearly see a won¬ 
derful fulfilment of it in the things which took place in 
the days of Christ, as recorded in the Gospels. For 
those inspired narratives present vividly the contrast be¬ 
tween what our Lord repeatedly called a “wicked” gen¬ 
eration, and the few who followed Him, and were made 
“wise” through His doctrine. This contrast appears 
clearly in those well-known words recorded by Mat¬ 
thew: “I thank Thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 189 

earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise 
and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes” (Mat. 
11:25). Here the 4 ‘babes” are they who were truly 
“wise”; and of them it is recorded that, after His res¬ 
urrection, He “opened their understanding, that they 
might understand the Scriptures” (Lu. 24:45). More¬ 
over, it was to them that He gave those special revela¬ 
tions concerning the then approaching destruction of 
Jerusalem, which form the second part of our present 
study, and which throw light on the prophecies of the 
Book of Daniel. 

Here we have, therefore, a conspicuous and inspired 
record of a particular era, the days of Christ, when it 
was given to the spiritually “wise” to “understand” 
these very matters concerning which Daniel inquired so 
eagerly; and this too was “the time of the end’ ’of that 
very portion of Jewish history to which the prophecy re¬ 
lates. And not only so, but, at that very same time, there 
was another company expressly called by Christ Him¬ 
self the “wicked” (Mat. 12:45, &c.) who continued to 
“do wickedly,” even to the point of seizing their own 
Messiah, and with “wicked hands,” putting Him to 
death. How could there be a more striking fulfilment 
of the words: “the wicked shall do wickedly, and none 
of the wicked shall understand”t Those words surely 
point to something very definite, and very important. It 
is certain that in such a prophecy the Spirit of God 
would not waste words by foretelling a matter-of-course 
thing, such as that wicked men in general will do wicked 
deeds in general. No, it was some particular and monu¬ 
mental act of wickedness that was in contemplation, and 
one, moreover, that would be perpetrated by a genera¬ 
tion of men specially characterized by a lack of under¬ 
standing of what was happening in their days. It was, 
in fact, the same deed of wickedness that is foretold in 


190 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Daniel 9:24 as finishing the transgression. The ful¬ 
filment of this part of the prophecy calls for just such a 
deed as was described by Paul when he said of the Jev 
and their leaders that, “because they hnew Him not, 
nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sab¬ 
bath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning Him ,y 
(Acts 13:27). 

The ingenuity of expositors has been greatly taxed in 
the effort to make these words apply to the closing days 
of our own age. We are well aware of the natural pro¬ 
pensity of the mind to seize upon such passages as this, 
and to seek a fulfilment in the last days of this present 
dispensation; yet it seems strange that the plain fulfil¬ 
ment, to which we are here calling attention, should be 
so generally overlooked. Every expositor of recent 
times, who has a scheme of interpretation of Daniel’s 
prophecies to advocate, inevitably and blandly cites the 
words “the wise shall understand” as if they constituted 
a convincing proof of the correctness of his own scheme. 
For he takes “the time of the end” to mean the end 
of our own dispensation (as if it were the only era that 
had an “end”) and then he further takes it for granted 
that he is one of “the wise” to whom it has been spe¬ 
cially given to “understand” these previously hidden 
things. But we are persuaded that much which passes 
nowadays as an “understanding” of these matters, is 
but a misunderstanding after all; and that some who 
esteem themselves “wise” in regard thereto are quite 
otherwise. 

Many purified and made white. We would also direct 
attention to the important words, “Many shall be puri¬ 
fied, and made white, and tried, ’ ’ which stand in apposi¬ 
tion to the words, “but the wicked shall do wickedly.” 
It is easy to identify those who, in the last days of Jewish 
national life, were “purified and made white” through 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 191 

the blood of Christ, and who also were severely “tried ’ 1 
for the faith they professed. And again we say that 
such words, in such a prophecy, call for a special and 
definite fulfilment; for it virtually deprives them of all 
significance to interpret them in a way which would 
make them apply to any and every period. The fulfil¬ 
ment which these words call for is found in the early 
chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. There we read of 
“thousands” who were saved, of “many” of the priests 
who became obedient to the faith, of “multitudes both 
of men and women” who turned to the Lord. These 
were purified and made white; and then they were tried 
with a “fiery trial”; but to these (for they were the 
“wise”) it was given to “understand” the things which 
were to befall their city and sanctuary at “the end.” 

But in contrast with this, history has preserved the 
most impressive evidence of the fact that none of the 
wicked (those who rejected Christ and His gospel, and 
who slew the messengers He sent to them) understood 
what was coming. On the contrary, up to the very day 
of the capture of the temple by the Komans, they were 
deceived by false prophets, and were fatuously looking 
for a miraculous intervention in their behalf. As to 
this we have the testimony of a most competent and im¬ 
partial witness, Josephus, who says: 

“A false prophet was the occasion of the destruction of 
those people, who (the prophet) had made a public proclama- 
' tion in the city that very day , that God commanded them to 
get up upon the temple, and that they should receive mirac¬ 
ulous signs of their deliverance. Now there was a great 
number of false prophets suborned by the tyrants to im¬ 
pose upon the people, who announced this to them, that they 
should wait for deliverance from God” (Wars V. 11, 2 and 
VI. 5, 2). 

But “the wise,” those who were enlightened by the 
word of Christ and by the Spirit of God, did under¬ 
stand the prophecy and did secure their safety thereby; 


192 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


of which we purpose to speak in detail when we come 
to our Lord’s prophecy on Mt. Olivet. 

Thus it will be seen that, not only do the terms of this 
prophecy confine us, in our search for the fulfilment of 
all its details, to the era of Jewish history anterior to 
the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans and the scat¬ 
tering of the holy people, but we are enabled, from the 
Scriptures themselves, and from authentic contemporary 
records, to find, in the stupendous events of that era, a 
complete and worthy fulfilment of every detail. 

The last word in the prophecy, and in the Book, is 
a word of personal comfort to Daniel: “But go thou thy 
way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy 
lot at the end of the days.” 

The “lot” to an Israelite would mean his portion or 
inheritance. So to Daniel is given the assurance that 
all these calamities should not abridge his “rest” or his 
inheritance. Thus he was supported to hear and to re¬ 
cord those wonders, by the comfort wherewith he was 
comforted of God. 

Thus closes the Book of “Daniel the Prophet”; but 
the subject concerning which he prophesied, or rather 
concerning which a revelation was given him from heav¬ 
en—the destruction and desolations of Jerusalem under 
the judgment of God—was taken up by the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and was made the theme of His own last proph¬ 
ecy. Therefore we may properly regard Daniel’s 
prophecy as the introduction to Christ’s Olivet dis¬ 
course, and the latter as the completion of the proph¬ 
ecy of Daniel. 

Have These Prophecies a Future Application t 

In the foregoing pages we have sought to give the true 
interpretation of the last four chapters of Daniel. In 
so doing we have endeavored to show that “the latter 
days, ’ ’ wherein the last of those prophecies was express- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 193 

ly to be fulfilled, was that final period of Jewish history 
which stretched from the return from Babylon in the 
days of Cyrus, to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus; 
and also to show that “the time of the end” spoken of 
in Daniel 12:4 was the very last stage of that period, in¬ 
cluding the days of Christ, and the time of gospel¬ 
preaching which followed. 

But the subject should not be left without some ref¬ 
erence to the question whether these prophecies have any 
application at all to the present dispensation. We are 
deeply convinced that there is no warrant whatever for 
breaking off the last parts of these prophecies, and car¬ 
rying the detached portions across the intervening 
centuries to the end of this gospel-dispensation. This 
freakish system of interpretation has nothing in the 
Scripture to support it, so far as we can discover. But is 
it not a possibility nevertheless that the prophecies, or 
parts of them at least, may have a secondary and final 
fulfilment in the last days of our era ? 

This question cannot be dismissed as unworthy of 
serious consideration, seeing that many expositors of 
the highest ability have elaborated systems of interpre¬ 
tation wherein the time-measures of Daniel are taken, on 
the scale of a day to a year, to measure from various 
epochs in the past to various critical events in this dis¬ 
pensation. Especially have those time-measures been 
used to locate the second coming of Christ, and other 
events which pertain to the time of the end of this pres¬ 
ent age. Sometimes the periods are measured on the 
scale of a lunar year, sometimes on the scale of a 
solar year, sometimes on the scale of a calendar 
year (counting 360 days to a year). Mr. H. Grattan 
Guinness, in his well-known books, The Approaching 
End of the Age, and Light for the Last Days, uses all 
three scales, and he seems to obtain remarkable results 


194 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


whichever scale he employs. Thus these figures appear 
to give, in many cases, the measures of time between im¬ 
portant historical events of old, and corresponding 
events in our own era. All this suggests the possibility 
that the figures given in the 12th chapter of Daniel may, 
when made to mean years instead of days, be found to 
measure accurately from some selected starting point to 
say the rise (or the fall) of the Papacy as a temporal 
power, or of Mohammedanism, or to the French Revolu¬ 
tion, or to the outbreak of the World-war, or to the tak¬ 
ing of Jerusalem from the Turks. Such studies are not 
without interest and value; but they do not, in our opin¬ 
ion, supply us with a basis upon which the date of any 
future event can be predicted; and most emphatically 
do we declare it as our judgment, that neither these fig¬ 
ures nor any others have been given as a means whereby 
the date of the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ 
can be calculated . To that judgment we are driven by 
His own definite statements in His Mount Olivet proph¬ 
ecy, which we are now about to examine. From those 
statements it will be clearly seen that, while on the one 
hand the Lord warned His disciples most explicitly con¬ 
cerning the exterminating judgments which were to fall 
upon the people, the city and the temple in that gen¬ 
eration, and while He gave them an unmistakable sign 
whereby they might be warned of the approach thereof 
in time to escape, He took the greatest pains on the other 
hand to impress upon them that His own coming again 
would be at an unexpected season, and without any pre¬ 
monitory signs whatever. 

Furthermore, it is obvious that, in order to measure 
long time-intervals from a starting-point in Old Testa¬ 
ment days, it is necessary to have a correct chronology; 
and the practice of all who have made calculations of 
the sort referred to has been to assume some one or 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 196 

other of the existing chronological systems based upon 
the canon of Ptolemy, which Anstey has shown to be er¬ 
roneous, or at least untrustworthy. And in this con¬ 
nection we would say that our confidence in all calcu¬ 
lations of the sort referred to is much shaken by the fact 
that each scheme of interpretation yields equally re¬ 
markable results whether one system of chronology be 
chosen or another, and whether the “year” be taken as 
containing 365 days, or 360, or 354 (the last being the 
length of the lunar year). Now, inasmuch as it is man¬ 
ifestly impossible that all the different chronologies 
based on Ptolemy’s canon should be equally correct, or 
that it is a matter of indifference whether the year, 
which is the time-unit in all these calculations, be of one 
length, or another, we are unable to find in such systems 
of interpretation any basis solid enough to support set¬ 
tled conclusions. Therefore, as to the time of any of the 
as yet unfulfilled prophecies, we have no means for fix¬ 
ing, or even closely approximating, the year in which it 
will occur; and this statement applies in a special way 
to the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

And finally we would say, after much consideration of 
the matter, and with the desire (which must be com¬ 
mon to all) that we might have a divinely revealed 
measuring line and a starting point whereby future 
events could be accurately located on the chart of the 
years, yet we cannot see sufficient warrant for assum¬ 
ing that the “days” mentioned in these prophecies are 
really “years.” We shall not take the time to examine 
the reasons usually given in support of that assump¬ 
tion, it being enough to say that we know of no proof 
that the word “day,” in any time-measure given in the 
Bible, means “year”; nor can we conceive of any rea¬ 
son why, if a year were meant, the word “day” should 
be used instead. 


196 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


The case of the “seventy weeks” of Daniel 9.24 is not 
an instance of making the word ‘ 1 day ’ ’ stand for a year; 
for the word means a heptad or seven , which might be 
one of days or years, and which the event proves in this 
case to be years. 


PART TWO 


CHAPTER XII 

The Lord's Prophecy on Mount Olivet 

We come now to that great utterance of the Lord Jesus 
Christ which connects directly with the prophecies re¬ 
corded in the last four chapters of the Book of Daniel. 

We have seen that sixty-nine weeks of the seventy 
mentioned by Gabriel in his message to Daniel reached 
“unto the Messiah,'' that is, unto what Edersheim calls 
‘ ‘ His first Messianic appearance, ’ ’ which was at His bap¬ 
tism ; for then it was that He was anointed with the Holy 
Ghost, borne witness to by the Voice from heaven, and 
publicly proclaimed (or “made manifest to Israel”) by 
John the Baptist (John 1:29-34). 

That great event marked the beginning of the Seven¬ 
tieth Week of the prophecy, the “one week” which is 
separately mentioned in Daniel 9:27, the “fulness of the 
time” of Galatians 4:4 (cf. Mark 1:15). That “week” 
was, beyond all comparison, the most momentous period 
in all the course of time; for it was the great and won¬ 
derful era of Christ's own personal ministry among men, 
“the days of His flesh,” when He glorified God upon 
the earth, and finished the work He had given Him to 
do. It was the brief period of earth's history whereof 
the apostle Peter spake when he told to a company of 
Gentiles “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the 
Holy Ghost and with power; Who went about doing 
good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for 
God was with Him” (Acts 10:3). Never had there been 
a “time” like that. 

Towards the midst of that “week,” the Lord, after 



198 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


having preached the glad-tidings of the Kingdom of God, 
after having worked the works of God and spoken the 
words the Father had given Him to speak, went to Jeru¬ 
salem in order to fulfil all that was written of Him, by 
offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of His peo¬ 
ple. At that season, when Jerusalem was thronged with 
people for the observance of the passover, the Lord ut¬ 
tered His “woes” upon the scribes and Pharisees, clos¬ 
ing with these words, which have an important bearing 
upon our subject: 

“Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves that ye are 
the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up 
then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation 
of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Where¬ 
fore behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and 
scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some 
of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute 
them from city to city, that upon you may come al\ the right¬ 
eous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous 
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye 
slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto 
you, All these things shall come upon this generation ” (Mat. 
23 : 31 - 36 ). 

These words call for close attention, because of their 
bearing upon the prophecy (the Olivet discourse) which 
immediately follows, and also because of their bearing 
upon the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, which we 
have been studying. 

The Lord here speaks distinctly of a terrible retribu¬ 
tion which was to come upon that generation; and He 
sums up the several items of the wickedness for which 
they were thus to be punished. He declared that, in put¬ 
ting Him to death they were about to prove themselves to 
be the children of those who killed the prophets; and 
they were also about to fill up the measure of their fa¬ 
thers. Nor would the wickedness of that “generation 
of vipers” stop there. For when the messengers of 
Christ should come to them with the gospel of God’s love 
and grace, they would scourge, persecute, kill and cruci- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 199 

fy them. Thus would they bring upon themselves a 
retribution of such terrible severity, that it would be as 
if they were visited for all the righteous blood that had 
ever been shed upon the earth. Most distinct and plain, 
and emphasized by His great “Amen” (Verily), are the 
Lord’s words, “Verily I say unto you, All these things 
shall come upon this generation.” 

Here we have then a clear explanation of the words of 
Daniel 9:24, “Seventy Weeks are determined upon thy 
people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgres¬ 
sion”; and also of the words of Daniel 12:10, “The 
wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall 
understand.” 

Daniel’s people were to be the agents, and his holy city 
the place, of the finishing of “the transgression”; and 
the seventieth week of the renewed national existence was 
to be the time when the transgression should be finished. 
We have also in these words of Christ, and in verses 38, 
39, which follow, a clear affirmation of that part of the 
prophecy of the Seventy Weeks which foretold the de¬ 
struction of Jerusalem. We quote those heart-melting 
words: “0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the 
prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how 
often would I have gathered thy children together, even 
as a hen gatheroth her chickens under her wings, and ye 
would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth till 
ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of 
the Lord” (Mat. 23:38, 39). 

The Importance of the Destruction of Jerusalem 

It is greatly to be regretted that those who, in our day, 
give themselves to the study and exposition of prophecy, 
seem not to be aware of the immense significance of the 
destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70, which was accom¬ 
panied by the extinction of Jewish national existence, 


200 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


and the dispersion of the Jewish people among all the 
nations. The failure to recognize the significance of 
that event, and the vast amount of prophecy which it 
fulfilled, has been the cause of great confusion, for 
the necessary consequence of missing the past fulfilment 
of predicted events is to leave on our hands a mass of 
prophecies for which we must needs contrive fulfilments 
in the future. The harmful results are two-fold; for 
first, we are thus deprived of the evidential value, and 
the support to the faith, of those remarkable fulfilments 
of prophecy which are so clearly presented to us in au¬ 
thentic contemporary histories; and second, our vision 
of things to come is greatly obscured and confused by 
the transference to the future of predicted events which, 
in fact, have already happened, and whereof complete 
records have been preserved for our information. 

Obviously we cannot with profit enter upon the study 
of unfulfilled prophecy until we have settled our minds 
as to the predicted things which have already come to 
pass. 

A striking instance of the dislocation of great historic 
events which happened in accordance with, and in fulfil¬ 
ment of, prophecy, lies before us in the case of that un¬ 
parallelled affliction which is called in Matthew 24:21 the 
‘ ‘ great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of 
the world,” and which is doubtless the same as that 
spoken of in Jeremiah 30:7 as “the time of Jacob’s trou¬ 
ble/’ and in Daniel 12:1 as “a time of trouble such as 
never was since there was a nation.” From the clear 
indications given in the three prophecies just mentioned, 
and from the detailed records that have been preserved 
for us in trustworthy contemporary history, it should 
be an easy matter to identify the period thus referred to 
with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. The Lord’s 
own predictions and warnings concerning that event, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


201 


which was then close at hand, were most explicit. And 
not only so, but He plainly said that “all these things 
shall come upon this generation.” Besides all that, He 
specified the very sins for which that generation was to 
be thus punished beyond anything known before, or that 
should be thereafter, thus making it a simple impossibil¬ 
ity that the “tribulation” and “vengeance” which He 
predicted could fall upon any subsequent generation. 

Yet, in the face of all this, we have today a widely held 
scheme of prophetic interpretation, which has for its 
very cornerstone the idea that, when God’s time to re¬ 
member His promised mercies to Israel shall at last have 
come, and He gathers them into their ancient land again, 
it will be to pour upon them calamities and distresses far 
exceeding even the horrors which attended the destruc¬ 
tion of Jerusalem in A. D. 70. This is, we are con¬ 
vinced, an error of such magnitude as to derange the 
whole program of unfulfilled prophecy. Hence our pres¬ 
ent purpose is to set forth with all possible fulness and 
care the available proofs, from Scripture and from secu¬ 
lar history, whereby it will be clearly established that 
the “great tribulation” of Matthew 24:21 is now a 
matter of the distant past. 

First then, we direct attention to the fact that, ac¬ 
cording to the words of Christ, spoken to the leaders of 
that generation of Jews (Mat. 23:32-39), the punish¬ 
ment, which was then about to fall upon the city and 
people, was to be of an exhaustive character. His words 
utterly forbid the idea of another and more severe na¬ 
tional calamity reserved for a future day. Nobody (so 
far as we are aware) questions that the Lord’s lament 
over Jerusalem, recorded in Matthew 23:37 and Luke 
13 :34, was wrung from His lips in view of her approach¬ 
ing devastation by the Komans. But if so, then clearly 
His words to His own disciples, which immediately fol- 


202 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


low (Mat. 24), and which include the reference to the 
‘‘great tribulation,” refer to the same matter. 

But before taking up His discourse to His four dis¬ 
ciples, on Mount Olivet, we would call attention to some 
additional passages of Scripture which tend to show 
what a tremendous event in the history of God’s dealings 
with the Jews, and in the carrying out of His purposes 
for the whole world, was the destruction of Jerusalem 
by the Romans. 

We have referred already to our Lord’s lamentation 
on leaving the city, as recorded by Matthew. From the 
Gospel by Luke we learn that, upon approaching Jeru¬ 
salem on that last visit, He was so distressed in His heart 
at the realization of the awful calamities soon to over¬ 
take the beloved city, that He wept over it (Luke 19 :41). 
Although His own Personal sufferings, His shame and 
agony, were much closer at hand; yet it was not for 
Himself, but for the city, that His heart was torn with 
grief, and His eyes flowed with tears. This is the 
record: 

“And when He was come near, He beheld the city and 
wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least 
in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! 
but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come 
upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, 
and compass thee round (cf. 21:20), and keep thee in on 
every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy 
children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one 
stone upon another; because thou Jcnewest not the time of 
thy visitation ” (Lu. 19:41-44). 

Here is a wonderfully vivid, accurate and detailed pre¬ 
diction of what was about to befall the beloved city. 
But we cite the passage at this time for the special pur¬ 
pose of showing how great a matter, in the Lord’s view, 
was the approaching destruction of Jerusalem—great in 
its historical relation to the Jewish nation, great in the 
completeness of the overthrow, and great in the un¬ 
speakable sufferings that were to attend it. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


203 


Once more, when our Lord was being led forth to be 
crucified, and there followed Him a great company of 
people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented Him, 
He turned to them and said: 

“Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for 
yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days are 
coming in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, 
and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never 
gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 
Fall upon us; and to the hills. Cover us. For if they do these 
things in a {the) green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” 
(Luke 23:28-31). 

Thus we perceive that, even in that hour, the suf¬ 
ferings which were to come upon Jerusalem were more 
to the Lord Jesus than were His own. 

Old Testament Prophecies Concerning Jerusalem 

Let us also call to mind that in the Old Testament 
there are many pages of prophecy concerning the capture 
and desolation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, show¬ 
ing that, in God’s eyes, that was an event of much im¬ 
portance. It was, however, an affair of small magnitude 
in comparison with the destruction and desolation 
wrought by the Komans under Titus, whether we re¬ 
gard it from the point of view of the sufferings of the 
people, or of the numbers who were tortured and slain, 
or of the extent of the captivity which followed, or of the 
extinction of the nation, or of the “desolation” of the 
city, or of the sins for which these judgments were re¬ 
spectively the punishment. For the captivity in Baby¬ 
lon involved only a relatively small number of people; 
it lasted only seventy years; and the people were 
removed only a short distance from home. That fore¬ 
told by Christ involved the complete extermination of 
national Israel, the scattering of the survivors to the 
very ends of the earth, and “desolations” of the land 
and city which have already lasted for nearly two thou¬ 
sand years. 


204 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


The Lamentations of Jeremiah (especially chapters 4 
and 5) show how distressing were the desolations of 
Jerusalem in those days, and how they grieved the heart 
of God, of Whom it is written, “In all their affliction, 
He was afflicted’’ (Isa. 63:9); and of Whom it is also 
written that He “doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the 
children of men” (Lam. 3:33). But the afflictions and 
desolations wrought by the Romans were incomparably 
greater. 

Wrath to the Uttermost 

But the greatness of the calamity which Christ fore¬ 
told can best be understood by consideration of the grav¬ 
ity of the sin which brought it upon the city and people, 
in comparison with that for which God used Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar as the instrument of His vengeance. Christ laid 
to the charge of the fathers that they had “killed the 
prophets,” and stoned the messengers God had sent to 
them. This agrees with the record found in 2 Chron. 36 : 
14-17: 

“Moreover all the chief of the priests and the people trans¬ 
gressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; 
and polluted the house of the Lord which He had hallowed in 
Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them 
by His messengers, rising up betimes and sending; because 
He had compassion on His people and His dwelling place. 
But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His 
words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord 
arose against His people, till there was no remedy. There* 
fore He brought upon them the King of the Chaldees,” etc. 

But now (in Christ’s day) they despised the words of 
God spoken ~by His Son; they mocked Him; and finally 
they betrayed Him and put Him to death. Who can 
measure the enormity of this crime ? But there was even 
more. For not only did they reject Christ in Person, 
but they subsequently rejected, persecuted, killed, and 
crucified, those whom the risen Lord sent to them with 
the offer of mercy in the Gospel. Christ included this 
in the iniquity He charged against them; and He said 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 205 

that thereby they would fill up the measure of their 
fathers . 

The apostle Paul was one of those messengers who 
thus suffered at their hands. Speaking of this wicked¬ 
ness of the Jews he said: 

“Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own 
prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not 
God, and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak 
to the Gentiles that they might he saved, to fill up 

THEIR SINS ALWAY; FOR THE WRATH IS COME UPON THEM 
TO THE UTTERMOST ,, (1 TheSS. 2:16). 

Thus we are distinctly informed, both by the Lord 
Himself, and by His servant Paul, (1) that the sin 
and iniquity of that generation of Jews went far be¬ 
yond the evil deeds of their fathers; and (2) that the 
“wrath” which was then about to be poured out upon 
them was to be “to the uttermost.” 

Such being the facts of the matter, we would ask, first, 
if there is to be a future generation of Jews upon which 
is to fall a yet greater tribulation, what is to be the oc¬ 
casion thereof? and what is to be the crime for which 
that future generation of Israelites is to be punished? 
What crime can they commit which would be in any way 
comparable to that of betraying and crucifying their 
Messiah ? 

Second, if indeed such a terrible punishment yet 
awaits ‘ ‘ Israel’s long afflicted race, ’ ’ how is it that every 
prophecy which speaks of their final restoration to the 
holy land holds out the prospect—not of wrath to the 
uttermost, but—of mercy? For we are not aware of 
any prophecy concerning the final gathering of the 
scattered nation that gives any hint of such a thing as 
the greatest of all afflictions being then in store for them, 
but just the contrary. 

For example, we have in Isaiah 51 a prophecy which 



206 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


plainly has its fulfilment in this present era of the 
gospel; for God there says: ‘ 1 My righteousness is near; 
My salvation is gone forth,” and again, “My salvation 
shall he forever, and My righteousness shall not be 
abolished” (Isa. 51:5, 6) ; and He refers to “the people 
in whose heart is My law,” saying to them, “Fear ye 
not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their 
revilings” (v. 7). Then comes this promise: “There¬ 
fore the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come 
with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be up¬ 
on their head; they shall obtain gladness and joy; and 
sorrow and mourning shall flee away” (v. 11). We 
admit that this verse may have a spiritual fulfilment in 
those who are now being saved through the gospel, but 
we cite it to show that the era to which this prophecy 
relates is not that which began with the return from 
Babylon. Hence what is written in the succeeding verses 
cannot refer to the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar, but must refer to that by Titus. 

“Awake, Awake! stand up, 0 Jerusalem, which hast 
drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His fury; thou 
hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and hast 

wrung them out.These two things are come 

unto thee: who shall be sorry for thee ? desolation, and 
destruction, and the famine and the sword; by whom 
shall I comfort thee? Thy sons have fainted, they lie 
at the head of all the streets; as a wild bull in a net 
(are they taken) ; they are full of the fury of the Lord . 
the rebuke of thy God” (w. 17-20). 

Here is a strikingly accurate description of what took 
place at the capture of Jerusalem by Titus; and that, 
must be the event referred to, because none would claim 
that there is yet another “desolation” and “destruc¬ 
tion” in store for Jerusalem. This being so, there can 
be no uncertainty as to the meaning of what follows: 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


207 


Therefore, hear now this, thou afflicted and drunken, 
but not with wine: Thus saith thy Lord, Jehovah, and 
thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people, Behold, 
I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, 
even the dregs of the cup of My fury; thou shalt no 
more drink it again/ but I will put it into the hand of 
them that afflict thee” (w. 21-23). 

Prom this it is clear that Jerusalem and the people 
of Israel will never suffer again as in the days of the 
siege by the armies of Titus. 

Future Troubles for Mankind 

We do not lose sight of the fact foretold by the last 
words of the prophecy we have just quoted, and by many 
other prophecies, that there are to be sore troubles for 
the world, distress of nations, wars, famines, pestilences 
and earthquakes; these being the final “birth pangs,” of 
whose “beginning” the Lord spake in Matthew 24:8. 
No doubt there will be grievous tribulations and perse¬ 
cutions in the days of Antichrist; and we recall the pre¬ 
dicted “woes” of the last three trumpets, the outpour¬ 
ings of the vials of wrath, and “the hour of trial” which 
is to “come upon all the world to try them that dwell up¬ 
on the earth.” But those yet future distresses (which 
were a new revelation given by the risen Christ to His 
servant John) were not what He spoke of to the disci¬ 
ples on Mount Olivet. What He then predicted was 
that “great tribulation,” exceeding everything of the 
sort before or since, which was to come upon that gener¬ 
ation of Jews, which most of those disciples would live to 
see, and concerning which they would need, and would 
thankfully avail themselves of, the warnings and in¬ 
structions He then gave them. 

The yet future troubles for mankind are distinctly 
mentioned by the Lord in this prophecy, and they are 


208 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


clearly distinguished from the “great tribulation”; for 
He tells what will happen “after the tribulation of those 
days” (v. 29), and then passes on to the subject of His 
second advent, in connection with which He says, “and 
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn” (v. 30). 
The distinction is perfectly clear. 

We do not understand that any comparison is to be 
made, or was intended by our Lord, between the dis¬ 
tresses of the siege of Jerusalem and those which are 
yet to come upon ‘ 1 all them that dwell upon the earth. ’ ’ 
The two cases are too widely different for any compar¬ 
ison to be made. The fact is, and it fully verifies the 
words of Christ, that no city and no people have ever 
endured such terrible sufferings as those which at¬ 
tended the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies 
(whereof we shall speak more particularly later on) ; 
and we may well be thankful for His assurance that none 
of greater severity will ever befall a city and a people 
hereafter. 

Concerning Antichrist 

The Scriptures speak of Antichrist who is yet to come; 
and they show that his career will coincide with the clos¬ 
ing days of this age, for he will be destroyed by the 
Personal Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The state¬ 
ments of 2 Thess. 2:1-12 are very explicit. The person 
there spoken of is called “the man of sin,” “the son of 
perdition,” and “that wicked one.” The Scripture 
states that he will be revealed before the day of the Lord 
comes; and since he himself will be destroyed by the 
brightness of the Lord’s appearing, it is clear that his 
career will be finished at the time Christ is manifested in 
His glory. As to the length of his career, it may be 
that the “forty and two months” (3^2 years) of Reve- 
laton 13:5, is the literal measure. But inasmuch as 
many of the numbers in Revelation have a symbolical 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


209 


meaning, we do not make a positive assertion as to this. 

Further discussion of the troubles of the last days will 
be in order after we have examined our Lord’s prophecy 
on Mount Olivet. We only wish at this point to guard 
against giving to any of our readers the impression that 
we are undertaking to show that there is no time of af¬ 
fliction and woe for the inhabitants of the earth at the 
end of this present age. We are not questioning at all 
that there will be “tribulation and wrath” during the 
closing days of this dispensation. Our contention is 
merely that our Lord, in His Olivet discourse, was not 
warning His disciples concerning the distresses of that 
far-off period, but concerning those which were close at 
hand. 


CHAPTER XIII 
Outline of the Olivet Prophecy 

As the Lord was departing from the temple after His 
denunciation of the leaders of the people, certain of His 
disciples drew His attention to the massive stones of 
which the temple was built (some of these were 30 feet 
long); but while they were thus admiring its solidity 
and grandeur, He made what must have been to them 
the astounding statement that there should not be left of 
that huge pile of masonry one stone upon another that 
should not be thrown down (Mat. 24:1, 2). This state¬ 
ment was the occasion of the Olivet prophecy. 

A little later, as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, 
which overlooked the city, four of His disciples (Peter, 
James, John and Andrew) asked Him privately for 
further information concerning the matters to which 
He had briefly referred (Mk. 13 :3). The words He had 
spoken to the Jews had indicated two things in a general 
way; first, that a severe judgment was to fall upon that 
generation of Jews; second, that He Himself was to come 
again visibly. This latter event was intimated in the 
words, “Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall 
say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” 
(Mat. 23 :39). 

These words of the Lord will account for the form of 
the question put to Him by His disciples, which, as 
recorded by Matthew, reads thus: “Tell us when shall 
these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy com¬ 
ing, and of the end of the world {age) ?” 

It is evident that in the minds of the disciples the de¬ 
struction of Jerusalem (“these things”) and the com¬ 
ing again of the Lord Jesus (“the sign of Thy coming, 
and of the end of the age”) were closely connected to¬ 
gether. They might well have inferred from what the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 211 

Lord had said to the Jews that the two events would be 
contemporaneous. Hence, as reported by Mark and 
Luke, the question was , 11 When shall these things be, and 
what shall be the sign when these things shall he ful¬ 
filled ? ’ ’ The disciples were evidently taking it for 
granted that, when Jerusalem should be again attacked 
by alien armies, the Lord Himself would come “and 
fight against those nations, ” which idea would seem to 
find support in the prophecy of Zechariah (14:1-5). 
The disciples, therefore, were not in reality asking sev¬ 
eral different questions about several distinct and un¬ 
related events, but were asking about what was, in their 
own minds, a series of connected events. That it was 
regarded by them as being all one matter, clearly ap¬ 
pears by the form of the question as recorded by Mark 
and Luke. 

It is important that we take note of this, for it ex¬ 
plains why the Lord, in His reply, was so emphatic and 
so painstaking in warning the disciples not to expect His 
coming at the time of the siege of Jerusalem, and not to 
pay any heed to reports and false prophecies which were 
to be circulated at that time, to the effect that Christ was 
“here” or “there,” “in the desert” or in some “secret 
chamber.” It also explains why He was so careful to 
impress upon them that what He was foretelling would 
be the fulfilment—not of prophecies such as Zechariah 
and Joel 3:9-16, which end well for Jerusalem —but of 
the words of “Daniel the Prophet,” which end in ut¬ 
ter and age-long “desolations” for Jerusalem, to be 
attended by “a time of trouble” for the people, “such 
as never was since there was a nation even to that same 
time” (Dan. 12:1). 

In fact it will be clearly seen, upon a careful reading 
of the entire discourse, that the Lord did not give, or 
purpose to give, any information whatever concerning 


212 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Iiis second advent, except that it would occur when not 
expected. All that He said definitely on that subject 
was that it would not be at the time of the then impend¬ 
ing destruction of Jerusalem. It was manifestly of the 
utmost importance that His own disciples should not be 
misled by false reports and false Christs at that time, 
and should not be looking (as were the mass of the Jews) 
for a miraculous deliverance, but that they should heed 
the sign He gave them, and should make good their es¬ 
cape by “flight.” To this end the Lord began His reply 
by saying, “Take heed that no man deceive you; for 
many shall come in My Name, saying, I am Christ, and 
shall deceive many” (Mat. 24:4, 5). The particular de¬ 
ception against which He thus warned them was the 
false expectation that He would come and deliver the 
city. The fanatical Jews were sustained in their stub¬ 
born resistance to the Romans by the confident expecta¬ 
tion of a miraculous deliverance, as in Hezekiah’s day. 
Our Lord, therefore, took great pains that His own dis¬ 
ciples should not share this deception. And He con¬ 
tinued this sort of warning down to the end of verse 14, 
cautioning them also that they were not to take such 
things as wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and 
earthquakes, as signs of His coming. Never were 
warnings more needed than these, or more generally dis¬ 
regarded. For all through the age the Lord’s people 
have been prone to look upon wars, or other great com¬ 
motions, as signs of the Lord’s immediate coming. 

We repeat then, that the Lord’s purpose in this dis¬ 
course was not at all to give His people signs of His 
coming again, but to warn that generation of believers 
of the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, and to 
give to them a sure sign whereby they might, and where¬ 
by in fact His own people did, secure their safety by 
fleeing the land and city. 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 213 

Viewing then the Lord’s discourse as a whole we may 
clearly see in it the following purposes: 

1. To warn His disciples against being led astray by 
false Christs and false prophets, a danger to which they 
were to be peculiarly exposed at the time of the Roman 
invasion of the land. 

2. To warn them that wars, commotions, famines, 
pestilences and earthquakes were not at any time to be 
taken as indications that His Second Advent was near. 
Manifestly it was the Lord’s design that His people 
should be, from the very beginning, always in an atti¬ 
tude of expectancy of His coming: that they should not 
be looking for signs, but for Him (see Heb. 9:26). As 
well stated by Edersheim: ‘ ‘ All that was communicated 
to them was only to prepare them for that constant 
watchfulness, which has been to Christ’s own people, at 
all times, the proper outcome of His teaching on the sub¬ 
ject”—i. e., the subject of His second coming. 

3. To give them a sure sign, whereby they might 
know with certainty that the hour had come for them to 
flee from Jerusalem and Judea. 

The first two purposes are purely negative, so far as 
those disciples, and others of that generation, were con¬ 
cerned. The third only is positive in character; and in 
it we find the main object of the prophecy. 

The Great Tribulation. The Days of Vengeance 

What we desire chiefly to establish at this point is that 
when Christ spoke the words found in Matthew 24:21, 
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not 
since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor 
ever shall be,” He was warning the disciples of the ap¬ 
proaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and 
was letting them know in advance (what the event 
abundantly confirmed) that the sufferings of the be¬ 
sieged people, and the horrors and atrocities of that aw- 


214 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


ful time, would be without parallel in the history of the 
world, past or future. It was needful to impress this 
upon His people of that day, to the end that they should 
not delay their “flight” when the sign He gave them 
should appear. The prophecy was, as we have already 
seen, exceedingly practical. Its purpose was to save the 
lives of the Lord’s own people at a time of extremest 
danger and distress. And we have only to glance at the 
three accounts of this utterance of the Lord to perceive 
that His warning concerning the great tribulation was 
given for the purpose that His own people might, 
through acting upon His words, escape from it. We 
shall call attention to this in detail; but in passing would 
just ask our readers to observe that the greatness of the 
tribulation was mentioned as the reason why the disci¬ 
ples were to pray that their ‘ * flight be not in the winter 
nor on the Sabbath day” (Mat. 24:20, 21). Those 
words clearly confine the application of the prophecy to 
a time preceding the dispersion of the Jews. 

Let it be understood then that we are not making any 
statements in regard to persecutions, tribulations and 
wrath, which are or may be yet in the future. That there 
will be such is certain. What we are asserting at this 
point is that the “great tribulation” whereof our Lord 
spoke to His disciples when He was on Mt. Olivet, and 
which He called “the tribulation of those days” (Mat. 
24:29), was the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans 
in A. D. 70. And we would say that it is most needful , 
in order to the understanding of other prophecies, that 
this fact be grasped. 

The proof is ample. Indeed the Scriptures already 
cited make it plain that the wrath, which God was then 
about to pour out upon those who had both crucified His 
Son and had also rejected His mercy offered to them in 
the gospel, was ‘ ‘ wrath to the uttermost, ’ ’ that all things 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 215 

which had been predicted of that nature were to fall 
upon that generation. But the clearest proof of all is 
to be found by simply reading, side by side, the three 
accounts which God has given us of this great prophecy. 
It never occurred to the writer to do this until a few 
months before these papers were written (it was in the 
summer of 1921). But when he did so he was beyond 
measure astonished that he had been for so long a time 
blinded to a fact which lies plainly revealed upon the 
surface of the Scriptures. 

Briefly stated, what the writer found, and what any¬ 
one can see by making the same comparison, is:— 

1. That the words of Luke 21:20-24, beginning, 
“And when ye shall see Jerusalem encompassed with 
armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh, ’ ’ 
refer to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman ar¬ 
mies under Titus (no expositor would dispute this) ; 

2. That the words found in the corresponding part of 
Matthew’s account, beginning with the words, “When 
therefore ye shall see” (Mat. 24:15-22; see also Mk. 
13:14-20) refer to precisely the same event as that 
spoken of in Luke 21:20-24. 

We have said that, so far as we know, it is agreed by 
all expositors that the words recorded by Luke refer to 
the then approaching destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. 
But a careful examination of the account given by Mat¬ 
thew will show that, not only does it manifestly refer 
to the same destruction of Jerusalem, but it contains 
details which clearly show that our Lord was speaking 
of an event then close at hand. We will refer later on 
to those details. 

And now, in order that our readers may readily make 
the comparison we have spoken of, we here print, in 
parallel columns, the three accounts of our Lord’s great 
prophecy. 


CHRIST’S OLIVET DISCOURSE 
The Question 


216 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


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AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


223 


“When Ye Shall See” 

The reader will be well repaid for whatever time and 
effort he may expend in a diligent study and comparison 
of these three accounts of our Lord’s prophecy. (It is 
the only utterance of any length whereof three separate 
accounts have been given us; and there must be a special 
reason for this.) But what we would emphasize at this 
point is that the section beginning “When ye shall see” 
(Mat. 24:12; Mk. 13 :14; Lu. 21:20) manifestly refers, in 
each account, to one and the same event —the approach 
ing destruction of Jerusalem. “The abomination of des¬ 
olation standing in the holy place” (Mat. and Mk.) 
means the same thing as do the words “Jerusalem”— 
the holy city —“compassed with armies” (the armies 
being the “abomination” which was to make the place 
a “desolation,” Lu. 21:20). We will return to this in¬ 
teresting point. 

The ‘ ‘ great tribulation, such as was not since the be¬ 
ginning of the world,” &c. (Mat. 24:21), is the same as 
“affliction” ( the same word in the original as “tribu¬ 
lation”) “such as was not since the beginning of the 
creation which God created” (Mk. 13:19), and as “the 
days of vengeance, that all things which are written may 
be fulfilled ” “the great distress in the land, and wrath 
upon this people” (Lu. 21:22, 23). 

In all three accounts are mentioned the same woes, 
“to them that are with child, and to them that give 
suck in those days, ’ ’ and the same directions for instant 
flight are given. But in Matthew’s account only we 
have the Lord’s instruction to His disciples to pray that 
their flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day. 
Those words show clearly that He was speaking of a time 
when the stringent Rabbinical rules concerning the dis¬ 
tance that might be traversed on the Sabbath day would 
be still in force. That remark fixes the time with cer- 


224 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


tainty as 'previous to the destruction of Jerusalem. Those 
strict Rabbinical rules have not been in force for cen¬ 
turies; and there is no reason to suppose that they will 
ever be revived. The words do not, of course, imply 
that Christ’s own disciples would be bound by those 
rules even then; but so long as they were in Judea they 
would have been hampered by them in their flight, 
should that take place on the Sabbath. 

Self-Inflicted Sufferings 

In the light, therefore, of this comparison of Scripture 
with Scripture, we think it plain that the “ great trib¬ 
ulation” of Mathew 24:14 was that unparalleled calam¬ 
ity, with its unspeakable sufferings, which befell the city 
and people in A. D. 70. 

In the history of “The Wars of the Jews” by Jo¬ 
sephus we have a detailed account, written by an eye¬ 
witness, of the almost unbelievable sufferings of the Jews 
during the siege of Jerusalem. To this account we will 
refer later on; but we wish to state at this point that 
the distresses of those who were hemmed in by the sud¬ 
den appearance of the Roman armies were peculiar in 
this respect, namely, that what they endured was mainly 
self-inflicted. That is to say, they suffered far more 
from cruelties and tortures inflicted upon one another, 
than from the common enemy outside the walls. In this 
strange feature of the case it was surely “a time of 
trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even 
to that same time” (Dan. 12:1). 

What went on within the distressed city calls to mind 
the words of Isaiah: 

“Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land 
darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel ( the food) 
of the fire. No man shall spare his brother. And he 
shall snatch on the right hand and shall be hungry; and 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


225 


he shall eat on the left hand and not be satisfied; they 
shall eat everyman the flesh of his own arm. Manassah, 
Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manassah. For all this His 
anger is not turned away, but His wrath is poured out 
still” (Isa. 9:19-21). 


CHAPTER XIV 
“Such as Never Was” 

It is needful that close attention be paid to the in¬ 
spired words whereby the distresses attendant upon the 
destruction of the Jewish nation and their holy city are 
described in the several prophecies wherein they are 
foretold. For it is quite a common mistake to assume 
that the great tribulation was to be a calamity of unex¬ 
ampled magnitude as regards the number of the slain, 
and the amount of property destroyed. Thus we have 
had it said to us that the late world-war exceeded the 
tribulation of the Jews during and resulting from the 
siege of Jerusalem, in that more lives were lost, more 
towns devastated, &c. But the Scriptures do not speak 
of it as a calamity that should exceed all others in mag¬ 
nitude. In fact that could not be, for there has been no 
calamity to compare in magnitude with that of the flood, 
and will be none till the heavens and earth which now 
are shall be destroyed by fire (2 Pet. 3:6, 7). The 
prophecies we are studying speak not of a tribulation 
greater in magnitude or extent, but different in kind; 
and moreover, they speak of one which was to come as a 
judgment from God upon the Jewish nation. Thus, in 
Jeremiah 30:6 we read, “Alas! for that day is great, so 
that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trou¬ 
ble.” Here are both of the limitations to which we have 
referred. The first is in the words “none like it,” 
which suggest troubles of a peculiar sort; and the sec¬ 
ond is in the words “ Jacob’s trouble.” The words of 
Daniel 12:1 are equally explicit: “And there shall be 
a time of trouble such as never was since there was a na¬ 
tion,” etc. The words “such as” point to troubles of 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 227 

a special kind, and the words “since there was a na¬ 
tion” mean a nation of Israel, as the context shows. 
Finally our Lord’s words are “great tribulation such 
as was not since the beginning of the world, ’ ’ etc.; and 
again the context shows that the calamity He spoke of 
was to come upon that generation of Israelites. The 
peculiar character of those self-inflicted sufferings of 
the Jews during the siege will be clearly seen from the 
extracts given below from the history of Josephus; but 
there is also to be taken into consideration the fact that, 
at the termination of the siege, the whole nation was 
sold into bondage and scattered to the ends of the earth. 
Such a thing had never happened before (though Jeru¬ 
salem had been often besieged) ; and the Words of Christ 
make it sure that nothing like it will happen again. 

The apostle Paul, who is the chief revelator of the 
second coming of Christ, speaks definitely and frequent¬ 
ly of “the wrath to come,” but is absolutely silent as to 
any “great tribulation” in connection with the second 
advent. Thus, he says explicitly that “it is a righteous 
thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that 
trouble you; and to you that are troubled, rest with us; 
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with 
His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on 
them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel 
of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with 
everlasting destruction .... When He shall come to 
be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them 
that believe .... in that day” (2 Thess. 1:6-10). 
This passage speaks plainly of the vengeance that is to 
fall, when Christ comes again, upon all who reject the 
gospel; but neither here nor elsewhere in the writings of 
Paul is there any mention of a special period of tribu¬ 
lation (the last of the seventy weeks of Daniel 9, as some 
say) preceding the revelation of Jesus Christ. What 


228 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Paul distinctly foretells in this passage, and refers to 
in other passages (as 1 Thess. 1:10 and 5:2, 3) is in 
agreement with the words of Christ, Who, speaking of 
the time of His coming again in glory with His angels, 
said, ‘ ‘ And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn 
(Mat. 24:30, 31). 

We are aware that many in our day have so settled it 
in their minds that the appearing of Christ in glory is 
to be preceded by a definite period, “the great tribula¬ 
tion” so called, that it is difficult for them even to con¬ 
sider the idea that the period to which our Lord applied 
that expression is now long past. Nevertheless we are 
confident that all who are disposed to examine with 
open minds the testimony of the Scriptures will be con¬ 
strained to agree with the conclusion we have reached, 
which is that of practically all the great commentators 
of by-gone days, and of many in our own day. That 
view is well and concisely stated by Wiston in his pref¬ 
ace to Josephus’ Wars of the Jews, where he says: 

“That these calamities of the Jews, who were our Sa¬ 
viour’s murderers, were to be the greatest that had ever been 
since the beginning of the world, our Saviour had directly fore¬ 
told, Mat. 24:21; Mark 13:19; Luke 21:23, 24; and that they 
proved to be such accordingly, Josephus is here a most au¬ 
thentic witness.” 

Mark’s Account of the Olivet Prophecy 

Let us now, with the help thus gained, examine more 
closely the entire discourse. For this purpose we select 
the account given by Mark as the basis of our study. 
This we do because it is the most concise and straight¬ 
forward. Since it gives the Lord’s answer to the same 
question of the four disciples, we must assume that it is 
complete , in the sense of containing everything said by 
the Lord that relates directly to that question. Addi¬ 
tional statements found in Matthew and Luke would be 
merely details, or matters collateral to the main subject. 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


229 


The question—put to the Lord privately by Peter, 
James, John and Andrew (v. 3)—was this: 1 ‘Tell us 
when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign 
when all these things shall be fulfilled ?” The expres¬ 
sion these things (or these events) is important for iden¬ 
tification. It meant the terrible overthrow which the 
Lord had just announced to them, the completeness 
whereof was indicated by the fact that there should “not 
be left one stone upon another that should not be thrown 
down” (v. 2).* 

The Lord’s reply begins very significantly with the 
words, “Take heed lest any man deceive you.” These, 
and the words which follow to the end of verse 8, seem 
to be not in response to the question put to Him. But 
they are all the more important for that very reason; 
for they show that what the Lord deemed most essential 
was to correct the erroneous thought in their minds that 
the time of the happening of “these things” was to be 
the time of His coming again in power and glory to set 
up His visible Kingdom , whereof He had previously 
spoken to them (Mat. 16:27; 19:28). He was therefore 
most explicit in warning them to beware of false Christs, 
who would arise and deceive many at the time of the 
siege of Jerusalem. Furthermore, He warned them not 
to be disturbed by wars or rumours of wars, earthquakes, 
famines and the like; for such things must occur, but 
they were not signs of u the end.” Thus the subject of 
His own coming again at the end of the age was intro- 

* The stones of the Temple were of huge dimensions. 
Edersheim says: “According to Josephus the city was so up- 
heaved and dug up that it was difficult to believe it had ever 
been inhabited. At a later period Turnus Rufus had the 
plowshare drawn over it. In regard to the temple walls, 
notwithstanding the massiveness of the stones, there was 
nothing left in place, with the exception of some corner or 
portion of wall—left almost to show how great had beep the 
ruin and desolation/' 



230 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


duced, as we have said, in a purely negative way, and 
solely in order to inform the disciples that His second 
coming was in no way connected with the events where¬ 
of He was then forewarning them. 

In this connection the Lord also informed them of the 
treatment they were to receive, and the sufferings they 
were to endure (vv. 9-13) ; and He instructed them what 
they were to do when summoned before tribunals for IL 
Name’s sake (v. 11). 

The one great thing they were to keep in mind in re¬ 
spect to the unmeasured period that was to elapse be¬ 
fore His coming again was that {i the gospel must first 
be published among all nations” (v. 10). In like man¬ 
ner after His resurrection, when they brought up the 
same question concerning the restoring of the kingdom 
to Israel, He turned their minds from that subject, and 
said, “But .... ye shall be witnesses unto Me, 
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, 
and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8). 
The end of the age will come when, and only when, the 
work of the Gospel shall have been finished. Thus He 
made the work of the Gospel to be the matter of su¬ 
preme importance. 

This reply to their thoughts concerning His second 
coming is found (with additional details) in Matthew 
24:4-14, and Luke 21:8-19. We need not refer at this 
point to those passages. For what we wish just now to 
impress upon our readers is that the Lord was not, in 
this part of His reply, speaking of events that were to 
happen just prior to His second advent, but on the con¬ 
trary, was warning them not to take such things as wars, 
famines, pestilences, &c., as indications that His advent 
was near. 

Obviously that warning applies throughout the entire 
age; for if commotions of the sort mentioned by the Lord 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


231 


were not indications of the nearness of His coming at 
the beginning of the age, they would not be indications 
thereof at any later period. 

The Sign . At this point (Mk. 13:14) the Lord 
changes the subject, as indicated by the word “But”; 
and He now gives the definite ‘ ‘ sign ’ ’—impossible to be 
misunderstood—whereby they and all the saints of that 
generation should know with absolute certainty that the 
predicted “desolation” was about to take place, He 
says: “But when ye shall see the abomination of desola¬ 
tion, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it 
ought not (let him that readeth understand), then let 
them that be in Judea flee to the mountains,” etc. 

We have already shown by the corresponding pas¬ 
sage in Luke 21:20 that “the abomination of desolation” 
was the invading army which was about to encircle 
Jerusalem and accomplish “the desolation thereof.” 
That “abomination,” when it was encompassing Jeru¬ 
salem, was “standing where it ought not.” A compari¬ 
son of the two passages leaves no room for any uncer¬ 
tainty as to the Lord’s meaning. What has mainly 
caused certain modem expositors to go astray at this 
point is a curious mistake in regard to the expression 
used by Matthew, “standing in the holy place.” This 
point is so important that we reserve it for special com¬ 
ment later on. In view of the very general misunder¬ 
standing concerning this particular point, the Lord’s 
words, “let him that readeth understand,” are very 
significant. 

In this part of the Lord’s answer (Mk. 13:14-23) He 
gave explicit directions to His people how to secure their 
own safety; and furthermore He indicated that the com¬ 
plete investment of the city would be so swiftly accom¬ 
plished that, after the appearance of the armies, their 
only safety would lie in instant flight. We call atten- 


232 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


tion once more to the exceedingly practical character of 
this prophecy. 

It is important to notice that the word “affliction” 
in verse 19, is the same as that rendered “tribulation” in 
verse 24, and in Matthew 24:7, 21. 

In verse 20 is the promise that “those days”—re¬ 
ferring to the horrors of the siege—would be shortened; 
and we have already shown, in discussing Daniel 12, 
that the time was shortened, and in a manner evidently 
providential, so that the Romans obtained sudden, and 
most unexpected, possession of the last stronghold of the 
city. 

At this point the Lord renews the warning against 
expecting His return at that time. He speaks with great 
definiteness, saying, “Then,” that is during those days 
of siege, “if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; 
or lo, He is there; believe him not” (v. 21). Moreover, 
He gives the reason for this explicit warning, saying, 
“For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and 
shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were pos¬ 
sible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have 
foretold you all things” (22, 23). These words become 
very clear and plain when it is seen that the Lord is 
speaking of false Christs, and false prophets, who would 
seduce (or deceive) many into the belief that He was 
about to appear at that time and save Jerusalem from 
the invading armies. Similarly in the days of Zedekiah, 
when the city was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, there 
were false prophets who deceived the people by telling 
them that the enemy would not capture the city (Jer. 27: 
14, &c.). In view of the many interventions by the 
Lord on behalf of His people, and of the many promises 
given to them, it was very easy indeed to persuade the 
Jews to expect a miraculous deliverance. Hence it was 
exceedingly important that Christ should make His own 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 233 

disciples understand that there was to be no deliverance 
in this case. 

In the corresponding part of Matthew’s Gospel (chap. 
24:15-28) it is plain that we have another account of 
identically the same future events. Mark says (( in those 
days ”— i. e., in the days of the siege of Jerusalem— 
‘'shall be affliction (great tribulation), such as was not 
from the beginning,” &c. Matthew says, “For then shall 
be great tribulation, such as was not from the begin¬ 
ning, ’ ’ etc. 

Verses 27 and 28 of Matthew 24 tell what will be the 
manner of the Lord’s appearing when He does come 
(“as the lightning cometh out of the east,” &c.). Those 
words are not in Mark. This further goes to show that 
Christ’s second coming was not the main subject of His 
discourse here, but was a collateral matter. Obviously 
in this place also it was mentioned merely to give em¬ 
phasis to the warning not to heed the reports which 
would be current at that time, that He was “in the 
desert,” or “in the secret chambers.” 

The corresponding part of Luke’s account is found in 
verses 20-24 (chap. 21). This account is valuable main¬ 
ly for the very definite statements of verse 24, which 
tell how the siege was to end: “And they”—the people 
of verse 23—“shall fall by the edge of the sword, and 
shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jeru¬ 
salem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the 
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” These few words 
give a concise and accurate description of the conditions 
of the city and people down to the present day. They 
made it plain to the disciples that there was to be no 
deliverance for Jerusalem at that time. 

It is particularly to be noted that Luke, having spoken 
in detail of a coming destruction of Jerusalem, which 
everyone admits is that which came to pass in A. D. 70, 


234 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


says not a word of any other tribulation after that one. 
This forbids the idea that there is yet another tribulation 
(and even a worse one) in store for the Jews. Their 
worst enemies could hardly desire it, no reason for it can 
be conceived, the Scriptures do not reveal it, and we 
should be very slow to believe that such a thing could 
be. 

Here are three evangelists, selected by God for the 
special purpose, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, each 
of whom gives us an account of one and the same utter¬ 
ance of the Lord Jesus Christ. That utterance has 
mainly to do with an affliction of unparalleled severity, 
which soon was to fall upon Jerusalem and Judea, to 
the complete ‘ ‘ desolation ’ ’ of the city and the extinction 
of the nation, but concerning the approach whereof 
Christ’s own people were to receive a timely warning 
and an opportunity to escape. If now it be indeed 
the case (as some modern expositors affirm) that the af¬ 
fliction whereof Matthew and Mark have preserved a 
record was not the nearby destruction of the city, but 
one that was not to happen until the very end of this dis¬ 
pensation, and only after Israel had been nationally ex¬ 
terminated, scattered for an entire age, and regathered 
in their land and city again (of all which things, how¬ 
ever, neither Matthew nor Mark says a single word), 
how can we possibly account for the fact that Luke, 
though he speaks most impressively of the near-by de¬ 
struction of Jerusalem by Titus, and of the world-wide 
dispersion of the Jews, makes no reference at all to that 
far worse tribulation which is the prominent feature of 
the accounts given by Matthew and Mark as interpreted 
by certain modern expositors? Manifestly that could 
not be. And on the other hand, in view of the promi¬ 
nence given by Luke to the approaching destruction of 
Jerusalem, and in view also of the identical instructions 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 235 

given to the disciples, as recorded by all three evange¬ 
lists, it is not supposable that Matthew and Mark would 
absolutely ignore that unspeakable affliction, and de¬ 
scribe—in identically the same context— another tribu¬ 
lation that lay in the far-off future. 

The statement found in Luke 21:22, “For these be the 
days of vengeance, that all things which are written may 
be fulfilled,” calls for attentive consideration. The ex¬ 
pression “the days of vengeance” indicates a definite 
period of judgment; and this is emphasized by the 
words, “that all things which are written/’ which 
means, of course, all the threats of judgment, recorded in 
the law and the prophets, “might be fulfilled.” Mani¬ 
festly, if all things of that nature were 4 4 fulfilled ’ ’ at the 
destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70, then there could 
not be after that a further (and a worse) tribulation for 
Israel. 

As a help to the understanding of these words, let us 
turn to the earliest prophecy which speaks of the days 
of vengeance that were to come upon the faithless peo¬ 
ple. It is found in Deuteronomy 28:49-59, where God 
gave, through Moses, an outline of the future history of 
His people, telling how they would depart from Him¬ 
self, and how He would punish them by bringing against 
them a nation which should besiege them in their cities. 
The description fits very accurately the Romans, and 
the desolations wrought by them. We quote a part of 
the passage: 

“The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, 
from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a 
nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a nation of 
fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the 
old, nor show favor to the young. * * * And he shall besiege 
thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come 
down, wherein thou trustedst. * * * And thou shalt eat the 
fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy 
daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the 
siege, and in the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall 


236 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


distress thee. So that the man that is tender among you and 
very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and 
toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of 
his children which he shall leave; so that he will not give 
to any of them of the llesh of his children whom he shall 
eat; because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in 
the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee 
in all thy gates. The tender and delicate woman among you, 
which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon 
the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be 
evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son 
and toward her daughter, and tow r ard her young one that 
cometh forth from between her feet, and toward her children 
which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all 
things secretly in the siege and straitness wherewith thine 
enemies shall distress thee in thy gates." 

The prophecy goes on to declare that the people of 
Israel were to be greatly diminished in numbers, were 
to be “plucked off the land,” and were to be scattered 
“among all people, from one end of the earth even to 
the other,” where they were to “find no ease.” 

These predictions—terrible in their nature beyond all 
comparison—were fulfilled with appalling exactness and 
literalness in the siege of Jerusalem, and in the disper¬ 
sion which followed it, and which has lasted until now. 
As we come to realize the character of these awful dis¬ 
tresses, we shall surely be thankful that “all things 
which were written,” concerning the afflictions of the 
people of Israel, have now been “fulfilled.” We can but 
rejoice that there is no support whatever for the view 
that a time of distress, exceeding in severity the horrors 
of the siege of Jerusalem, yet awaits that much afflicted 
people. 

It should be noticed that the nation whereof Moses 
speaks in this prophecy was to come “from far,” and 
was to be one whose tongue the Jews did not understand. 
Those specifications fit the Romans, but not the Assy¬ 
rians or Chaldeans. Furthermore, in the tribulation 
foretold by Moses the people were to be plucked off the 
land and scattered among all nations “from one end of 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


237 


the earth even to the other.” This describes the result 
of the capture of Jerusalem by Titus, and not that of its 
capture by Nebuchadnezzar. 

Prominent among 1 the “things that were written” 
aforetime, and which our Lord said were to be “ful¬ 
filled” at the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, 
was that “time of trouble” foretold in Daniel 12:1, at 
which time some of Daniel’s people were to be delivered, 
even such as should be found “written in the book.” 
This latter expression had come to mean, since the days 
of Moses (see Ex. 32:32) those who were accepted by 
God and owned as His. Such (i. e., believers in the Lord 
Jesus Christ) were “delivered” at that time through 
giving heed to His warnings. 

The Abomination of Desolation 

There is need that special attention be given to the 
words, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination 
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand 
in the holy place (whoso readeth let him understand) ; 
then let them which be in Judea flee into the moun¬ 
tains,” etc. (Mat. 24:15,16). The passage is the same in 
Mark except that, instead of “stand in the holy place,” 
we read, “standing where it ought not.” In Luke the 
corresponding passage reads, “And when ye shall see 
Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that 
the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which 
are in Judea flee to the mountains,” etc. 

This passage was, to the Lord’s disciples then in Jeru- 
salem and Judea, the most important of the entire 
prophecy; for it gave “the sign” whereby they were to 
know that the “desolation,” predicted in Daniel 9:26, 
was at hand, and upon “seeing” which they were to 
flee. Luke describes the sign in plain language. The 
encompassing of Jerusalem by armies was to be the 


238 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


warning that its desolation was nigh. But Matthew (for 
a reason which can be discerned) uses terms such that 
others than the disciples would not readily “ under¬ 
stand’ ’ the meaning. To us, however, it should be clear, 
upon a mere comparison of the passages, that the armies 
which were to accomplish the ‘ ‘ desolation ’ ’ of the city 
were “the abomination of desolation .” But we will look 
further into the matter. 

We have already pointed out that the word “abom¬ 
ination” means any hateful or detestable thing. It 
would most fittingly apply to the Roman armies on their 
mission of destruction. Indeed the descriptive words, 
“of desolation,” fix the meaning definitely. Yet, ac¬ 
cording to an interpretation that is widely accepted at 
this time, it means the setting up of an idol for worship 
in a Jewish temple which (it is supposed) will be built 
at Jerusalem in the days of Antichrist. But, in that 
case, the words “of desolation” would be quite out of 
place; for no one will contend that Jerusalem is to be 
again made a desolation. Another insuperable objec¬ 
tion to that view is that God would not regard or speak 
of any part of such a temple as “the holy place.” 

Our modern expositors have been misled by this ex¬ 
pression (used by Matthew) “the holy place.” They 
have assumed that it meant the holy of holies in the tem¬ 
ple. But it does not mean that at all. Anyone, with 
the help of a concordance (as Young’s or Strong’s) or 
a Greek dictionary, can see for himself that the word 
used for “place’ in Matthew 24:15 is topos , which 
means simply a locality (we derive from it the words 
topical , topography , etc.). It is used in expressions like 
* “a desert place,” “dry places.” The holy land, Judea, 
is therefore the “holy place ” where the heathen armies, 
with their idolatrous standards and pagan sacrifices, 
were to stand. Mark puts it simply as “standing where 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 239 

it ought not ” On the other hand, the term hagios topos 
is never used of the holy of holies of the temple. (See 
original text of Heb. 9:12, 24 and 25.) 

The Lord was referring to the particular “abomina¬ 
tion of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet,” and 
at this point occurs the exhortation, “Whoso readeth 
let him understand.” The expression “abomination of 
desolation” is found only in the Septuagint version of 
Daniel 9:27. What then was it that is referred to in 
that verse? Clearly it is that which was to be God’s 
instrument in bringing about the predicted “desola¬ 
tion.” The Hebrew text, of which our A. V. is a trans¬ 
lation, reads “and for the overspreading of abomina¬ 
tions, he shall make it desolate.” If instead of “for,” 
we read, “by the overspreading of abominations,” we 
have a very good indication of the spreading abroad of 
the Roman armies. 

In Daniel 11:31 and 12:11, is a slightly different ex¬ 
pression which makes the meaning more clear, namely, 
“abomination that maketh desolate.” 

That the words “When ye see the abomination of des¬ 
olation stand in the holy place” do not mean the setting 
up of an idol in the inner sanctuary, further appears 
by consideration of the fact that it was when the dis¬ 
ciples should see the thing referred to, that they were 
to know it was time for them to flee. Manifestly the set¬ 
ting up of an idol in the inner sanctuary could not be a 
sign to the Lord \s people to flee. That would be a thing 
which only the priests could “see.” And it could not 
possibly be a sign to “them that be in Judea.” Where¬ 
as the invading armies would be a sight which all could 
see. 

Furthermore, the setting up of an idol in the sanc¬ 
tuary is a thing which could not be done until the city 


240 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


and temple were taken by the enemy, which would be 
at the end of the siege. Hence it could not possibly be 
a sign to the disciples to save themselves from the hor¬ 
rors of the siege by timely flight. 

The difference between the way Matthew describes this 
sign to flee, and the way Luke describes it, is accounted 
for by the fact that Matthew’s Gospel was written pri¬ 
marily for circulation among the Palestinian Jews. We 
can understand, therefore, why the Holy Spirit inspired 
him to use an expression which would not he understood 
except by the disciples. But no such reason would exist 
in the case of Luke’s Gospel, he being the companion of 
Paul in his journeys through the Greek provinces, and 
his Gospel having been written primarily for Gentile 
converts. Matthew and Mark have the significant ad¬ 
monition, “Whoso readeth let him understand.” But 
in Luke, where the meaning is stated in clear words, that 
admonition is not found. 

In confirmation of our view as to the abomination of 
desolation, we quote the following from a sound and 
standard work, Smith’s Bible Dictionary: 

“Abomination of Desolation, mentioned by our Sa¬ 
viour, Mat. 24:15, as a sign of the approaching destruc¬ 
tion of Jerusalem, with reference to Daniel 9 :27; 11:31; 
12:11. The prophecy referred ultimately to the de¬ 
struction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and consequently 
the abomination must describe some occurrence con¬ 
nected with that event .Most people refer it 

to the standards or banners of the Roman army. ’ ’ 

We believe, however, that it is not the standards car¬ 
ried by the armies, but the armies themselves that con¬ 
stituted the abomination of desolation, or that maketh 
desolate. This conclusion is fully supported by' the 
facts, (1) that where Matthew says “when ye see the 
abomination of desolation,” Luke says “when ye see 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


241 


Jerusalem encompassed withgrmies, then know that the 
desolation thereof is nigh;*; and (2) the armies were 
the agency whereby the “desolation” was accomplished. 

In further confirmation of our view as to this point 
we quote also from Farquharson the following clear 
passage: 

“Christ expressly names it (the abomination of deso¬ 
lation) as one of the previous signs, whereby those whom 
He then addressed would become aware of the immediate 
approach of that destruction of Jerusalem which He 
Himself foretold, and which, He said, would occur be¬ 
fore the generation contemporary with Himself on earth 
passed away (Mat. 24:34). Besides, Christ, by the term 
‘abomination of desolation’ did not mean any temple 
built to a strange god, or any profane sacrifices. These 
are indeed abominable; but they are not desolators. 
Luke has preserved the explanation which Christ Him¬ 
self gave of those terms (‘when ye see Jerusalem com¬ 
passed with armies,’ etc. Lu. 21:20), as we shall have 
occasion afterwards more particularly to show; and 
Bishop Newton, in his illustration of Christ’s own 
prophecy, refers to the explanation furnished by Luke 
and admits that the abomination of desolation signifies 
the heathen armies.” 

Also from the same author we quote the following pas¬ 
sage, which occurs in the course of his comments upon 
Daniel 12:1, “And at that time thy people shall be de¬ 
livered, every one that shall be found written in the 
book”:— 

“The prediction of the prophet then, in this latter part of 
the first verse, was fulfilled in that part of Daniel’s people 
who, obeying 1 the call of the Saviour to faith in Him, and re¬ 
pentance and new obedience, obtained through His blood 
eternal redemption. Although the Jewish rulers and the 
erreater part of the nation would not have Him to be their 
King, but delivered Him up to the Gentiles, yet says Paul, 
‘God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew,’ but, 
as in the days of Elias He reserved to Himself seven thousand 


242 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


men who had not bowed the knee to the image of Bael, even so 
now, ‘at this present time also, there is a remnant according 
to the election of grace’ (Rom. 11: 2-5). Within a short time 
after Christ’s ascension this ‘remnant’ amounted to several 
thousands (Acts 2:41 and 4:4); and afterwards ‘believers 
were added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women’ (Acts 
5:14). These were at that time ‘delivered.’ * * * But there 
was added to the eternal deliverance they thus obtained a 
temporal deliverance also, in that ‘time of trouble,’ during 
which their unbelieving countrymen perished by sword and 
famine. For He in Whom they believed had taught them the 
signs that should precede the approaching calamities, and had 
warned them to escape from them by a timely flight (Mat. 24: 
15, 16). Of His warnings they availed themselves. ‘We learn 
from ecclesiastical histories,’ says Bishop Newton, ‘that at 
this juncture (the approach of the siege of Jerusalem) all 
who believed in Christ departed from Jerusalem , and removed 
to Pella and other places beyond the river Jordan; so that 
they all marvellously escaped the general shipwreck of their 
countrymen; and we do not read anywhere that so much as 
one of them perished in the destruction of Jerusalem.’ Thus, 
in every sense, ‘at that time Daniel's people were delivered, 
all who were found written in the book 

Luke's Account. Is it the Same Discourse f 

We would notice at this point an idea which has been 
advanced by a few commentators (not any of prominence 
so far as we are aware) namely that the account found 
in Luke 21 is that of a different utterance of Christ from 
that reported in the corresponding parts of Matthew and 
Mark. This idea is really a confirmation of what we have 
been seeking to prove; for those who suggest it must have 
recognized that, if Luke 21 gives us an account of the 
same utterance as is reported by the other two gospel- 
writers, then it must be that the “great tribulation’' of 
the latter is the fall of Jerusalem described by the former, 
and “the abomination of desolation” is the armed Romcn 
force. 

But the idea referred to above is utterly untenable. 
According to each of the three writers the discourse oc¬ 
curred just after Christ left the temple for the last time; 
and according to each it began with the same words (“not 
one stone shall be left upon another”) ; and moreover the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 243 

prophetic part was spoken in reply to the question of the 
disciples (“tell us,” etc.)* And not only so, but the ac¬ 
count by Luke follows the same order as the others, and 
uses in many passages precisely the same words. It is 
simply an impossibility that there should have been two 
distinct discourses on the same day, arising out of the 
same incident, and in response to the same question, from 
the same disciples. 

It is nothing to the purpose that Matthew and Mark 
state the place where the conversation took place (the 
Mount of Olives) whereas Luke omits mention of that 
detail. There would be as much ground to argue that 
Christ endured two different agonies on the night of His 
betrayal, in two different places, because, while Matthew 
and Mark give Gethsemane as the place, Luke does not 
specify the name of the locality where what he describes 
(with differences of detail from the others) took place. 

The proof is conclusive that the three accounts refer to 
one and the same discourse, and that what Luke plainly 
identifies as the then approaching destruction of Jerusa¬ 
lem, the other two evangelists spoke of under the general 
term “great tribulation.” 

Israel's Last Probation 

We have sought to impress upon our readers the fact 
that the destruction of Jerusalem, and the final break¬ 
up of the Jewish nation, was a matter of immense im¬ 
portance in the history of the world, as divinely viewed 
and written. We would now, in closing this chapter, call 
attention to the fact that God, in marvellous forbearance 
and goodness, did not execute His righteous judgment 
upon the nation at once, but gave them a final period of 
probation, which lasted just 40 years , from A. D. 30, 
when the Lord was crucified, to A. D. 70, when the city 
was destroyed and the nation exterminated. 


244 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


The number 40 appears to be the measure of full pro¬ 
bation. The Israelites were tested for 40 years in the wil¬ 
derness at the beginning of their national career. That 
was under the Law. And at the end thereof, God gave 
them another probation of 40 years, under the Gospel. 
Other periods of full probation are found in the Scrip¬ 
tures, as when Moses left the people to themselves, while 
he was in the mountain 40 days. The first three kings 
of Israel (Saul, David and Solomon) reigned the full 
period of 40 years. And finally our Lord was tested for 
40 days in the wilderness, with the wild beasts, and 
tempted of the devil. 

The Time of Jacob's Trouble 

The reference to “the time of Jacob’s trouble” is 
found in Jeremiah 30 :5-7. From what appears in chap¬ 
ter 29 :1, as well as from the immediate context, it is ev¬ 
ident that the prophecy concerning Jacob’s trouble was 
spoken after the captivity in Babylon had begun; so it 
was not the punishment inflicted by Nebuchadnezzar 
that the prophet was foretelling. This is made very 
plain by the verses immediately preceding the prophecy 
of Jacob’s trouble, in which God says that He will bring 
again the captivity of His people and cause them to re¬ 
turn to the land of their fathers. So the predicted order 
of events was the return of the captivity from Babylon, 
and after that the time of Jacob’s trouble, which is fore¬ 
told in these striking words: 

“For thus saith the Lord, we have heard a voice of 
trembling, of fear and not of peace. Ask ye now and 
see whether a man doth travail with child? Wherefore 
do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a 
woman in travail, and all faces are turned into pale¬ 
ness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is Uke 


\ 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 245 

it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be 
saved out of it” (Jer. 30:5-7). 

The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans is a com¬ 
plete fulfilment of this prophecy. Why then should we 
ignore a conspicuous historical fulfilment and surmise a 
fulfilment in the future, for which there is no proof? 

The words (( none is like it” establish the fact that 
“the time of Jacob's trouble," foretold by Jeremiah, is 
the same as the “time of trouble such as never was” 
foretold to Daniel by the man clothed in linen, and the 
same as the “great tribulation such as was not since the 
beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be," 
foretold by the Lord as then about to come upon the peo¬ 
ple. For there cannot be two such times of trouble. 

Likewise the words of Jeremiah, “But he shall be 
saved out of it," agree with the words, “Thy people 
shall be delivered, every one that shall be found writ¬ 
ten in the book" (Dan. 12:1) ; and with the words of 
Christ, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same 
shall be saved" (Mat. 24:13). The agreement is strik¬ 
ing. 

Jeremiah, after prophesying the time of Jacob's trou¬ 
ble (of the particulars whereof he gives no description) 
proceeds to speak of another captivity for the nation, and 
of God’s purpose to gather His people out of it, and to 
restore them again to their own land (w. 10, 11). This 
confirms the view that the captivity referred to in verse 
3 is that in Babylon. Moreover, the terms used in de¬ 
scribing the captivity spoken of in verses 10 and 11 show 
that it was a world-wide dispersion. For God says: “I 
will save thee from afar . . . and Israel shall return 
and be at rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him 
afraid." So here we have a captivity in distant lands, 
to be followed by a restoration and blessing—not by an¬ 
other tribulation. Further, we read: “For I am with 


246 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full 
end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will 
I not make a full end of thee” (v. 11). 

Thus, according to all these three great prophecies 
which we have been studying and comparing, there was 
to be a time of unequalled trouble for Israel, followed by 
a world-wide scattering of the survivors, and with this, 
history is in perfect agreemnt; for the time of trouble, 
such as never was either before or since, came within the 
generation specified by Christ, and was immediately fol¬ 
lowed by a world-wide dispersion of the Jews, which 
has lasted until now; yet God has not made a full end 
of them. 

All this is completely reversed by a current system of 
interpretation of prophecy, which makes the dispersion 
of the people of Israel come first , and the time of “trou¬ 
ble such as never was” to be reserved for them after¬ 
ward, when God shall have brought them again, and 
finally, to their own land. 

The Great Tribulation of Revelation VII 

In Revelation 7 :9-17 is described the vision of a great 
multitude which no man could number, of all nations 
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, of whom it is 
said that “These are they which came out of great trib¬ 
ulation” (or “out of the great tribulation”) “and have 
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of 
the Lamb.” 

There is nothing in this passage to show that the trib¬ 
ulation referred to is yet future, or to justify the ex¬ 
pression, commonly heard in some quarters, “tribula¬ 
tion-saints.” What John is here permitted to see is, not 
a future tribulation , but the future blessedness of those 
who, while on earth, were in great tribulation. The 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


247 


time when the tribulation occurred is not indicated at 
all. 

We do not identify the tribulation of Matthew 24:21 
with that of Revelation 7 :14. The former is a specific 
event in history, and one that pertained strictly to the 
Jewish people. The latter is general and indefinite. 
There were people out of every nation, kindred, tongue 
and tribe, involved in it. The probability is (though 
at present we cannot express a decided opinion about it) 
that the company referred to (whose blessedness is pre¬ 
cisely the same as that of all the redeemed as described 
in Revelation 21:3, 4) embraces all those who have suf¬ 
fered for the truth’s sake, during all the centuries of 
persecution under imperial Rome and papal Rome. That 
tribulation, being of quite a different sort from the con¬ 
crete tribulation which befell Jerusalem in A. D. 70, 
does not come into comparison with it. There was to 
be nothing of that sort to exceed it. 

There is no good reason for doubting that the A. V. 
gives the true sense in saying, “These are they which 
came out of great tribulation,” which words do not 
specify a special class of sufferers, who passed through 
some special period of affliction. We utterly reject the 
idea of a separate company of “tribulation saints,” seg¬ 
regated from the main company of the redeemed, and 
appointed to some inferior sphere of blessing. 


CHAPTER XV 

The Siege of Jerusalem as Described by Josephus 

In bringing now to the attention of our readers some 
of the things recorded by Josephus in his well-known 
history of the last days of Jerusalem and the Jewish na¬ 
tion, it will be understood that we do not cite that work 
as evidence whereby we are to interpret the Scriptures; 
for we interpret the word of God by comparing Scrip¬ 
ture with Scripture. In fact we did not consult Joseph¬ 
us, or any other human writer, until after our conclu¬ 
sions as to the meaning of these prophecies (as stated in 
the foregoing pages) had been reached. We cite his 
work simply for what it is recognized on all hands to be, 
a trustworthy recital by an eye-witness of things, which 
he had personal knowledge of, which things show that 
the word of Christ was fulfilled in the most literal way. 

Farquharson quotes the following tribute to Josephus 
by Bishop Porteus: 

“The fidelity, the veracity, and the probity of the writer 
are universally allowed; and Scaliger in particular declares, 
that not only in the affairs of the Jews, but even of foreign 
nations, he deserves more credit than all the Greek and 
Roman writers put together.” 

It is a matter of common knowledge that Jerusalem 
is, up to the present time, “trodden down of the Gen¬ 
tiles, 7 ’ even as the Lord said; and that the Jews are still 
“scattered” among all nations. This is enough in it¬ 
self to assure us that the Lord’s prophecy in Luke 21 
(and hence every other prophecy concerning the same 
event) has been fulfilled. But surely it is a matter of 
deep interest to know how, when, and under what cir¬ 
cumstances, those prophecies were fulfilled. The his¬ 
tory of Josephus fully satisfies this legitimate desire; 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


249 


and we reiterate our belief that his account of those great 
events has been preserved providentially. Moreover, 
since Josephus was not a disciple of Christ at the time 
of writing his history, he cannot be suspected of having 
written his account of the destruction of Jerusalem with 
a view to supplying a fulfilment of the Lord’s prophecy. 
His account was published in the year 75, so that it was 
written while the things he described were fresh in his 
memory. Their publication at a time when the truth of 
the matters related by him was known to thousands then 
living, is a further reason for our having confidence in 
the narrative. 

Josephus describes the troubles which began under 
Pilate, the Roman governor, especially when he “sent 
by night those images of Caesar which are called en¬ 
signs into Jerusalem” (Bk. II ch. 9, sec. 2). Those 
ensigns or “images of Caesar” were particularly hate¬ 
ful to the Jews; and inasmuch as they were conspicu- 
ouslv carried in the Roman armies, we have here a rea- 
son why the latter were termed “the abomination of 
desolation.” 

In the days when Cumanus was Roman Governor “be¬ 
gan the troubles, and the Jew’s ruin came on” (II 
12:1). At that time Herod Agrippa II (the “Agrip- 
pa” before whom Paul appeared) was reigning as king 
over Galilee. He was by far the best of the Herod fam- 
ilv; but we have no record that he was ever fully “per- 
suaded” to accept Christ. At that time various calami¬ 
ties and disturbances began to take place. Bands of 
robbers infested the country, and in the city there arose 
an organized company of assassins called “Sicarii,” who 
“slew men in the daytime, and in the city. This they 
did chiefly at festivals, when they mingled with the mul¬ 
titudes and, by means of daggers concealed under their 
garments, they stabbed those who were their enemies.” 


250 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


The high priest Jonathan was one of their victims 
(1113,3). 

Another class of trouble-makers were certain men who, 
though not thieves or murderers, yet ‘‘laid waste the 
happy state of the city no less than did those murder¬ 
ers. These were such men as deceived and deluded the 
people under pretence of Divine inspiration.” It is 
easy to recognize in these men the false prophets where¬ 
of the Lord warned His disciples. Continuing, Joseph¬ 
us says: ‘ ‘ These prevailed with the multitude to act like 
madmen, and went before them into the wilderness , pre¬ 
tending that God would there show them the signals of 
liberty” (II 13:4). 

There was also “an Egyptian false prophet,” who 
“got together thirty thousand men that were deluded 
by him. These he led about from the wilderness to the 
mount which is called the mount of Olives.” This, ac¬ 
cording to Josephus, was in the days when Felix was gov¬ 
ernor. Consequently it was at the time of Paul’s last 
visit to Jerusalem, which calls to mind that the chief 
captain before whom Paul was taken after the distur¬ 
bance in the Temple, supposed that he was “that Egyp¬ 
tian , which before these days madest an uproar, and 
leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that 
were murderers” (Acts 21:38). It also brings to mind 
the definite warning of Christ, “Wherefore, if they shall 
say to you, Behold, He is in the desert, go not forth” 
(Mat. 24:26). 

Josephus likens the social conditions at that time to 
those of a body which is thoroughly diseased, in that 
when trouble subsided in one place it broke out imme¬ 
diately in another. “For,” says he, “a company of de¬ 
ceivers and robbers got together, and persuaded the Jews 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 251 

to revolt, and exhorted them to assert their liberty” 
(id. 6). 

About this time Felix was succeeded by Festus (as is 
also recorded in Acts 24:27), and he by Florus, who was 
the most wicked of all the Roman governors, and the 
immediate occasion of the w^ar. This was in the twelfth 
year of Emperor Nero, A. D. 66. Josephus relates that 
when Cestius Gallus came to Jerusalem at the passover 
season “the people came about him not fewer in num¬ 
ber than three millions” (II 14:3). This shows the im¬ 
mense numbers which gathered in Jerusalem at that 
season. 

Josephus relates with much detail the atrocities and 
barbarities which the people suffered at the hands of 
the soldiers, and describes their “agonies” and “lamen¬ 
tations. ’ ’ On one occasion the soldiers, after plundering 
the citizens, crucified manj^ of them, the number of those 
slain (including women and children) being about 3600 
on that single occasion. It appears to have been the de¬ 
liberate purpose of Florus to goad the Jews into a re¬ 
volt, so that thereby his own acts of plunder and other 
crimes might be covered up (II 14, 9). 

In ch. 16 (Bk. II) Josephus gives a speech by Herod 
Agrippa, in which he used every persuasion and argu¬ 
ment to restrain the Jews from the madness of revolting 
against the Romans. He eloquently pictured the vast 
power and extent of the Roman dominion as stretching 
from east to west, and from north to south. “Indeed,” 
said Agrippa, “they have sought for another habitable 
earth beyond the ocean, and have carried their arms as 
far as the British Isles, which were never known before” 
(II 16, 4). It seems strange to us that one of whom we 
read in the Bible should have spoken to the Jews in Jeru¬ 
salem about “the British Isles.” 

King Agrippa, as a final argument, attributed the 


252 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


world-wide success of the Roman arms to ‘‘the provi¬ 
dence of God,” for which reason he urged the Jews that 
it was vain for them to contend against them, and he 
concluded his speech with this strong appeal: 

“Have pity therefore, if not upon your children and wives, 
yet upon this your Metropolis and its sacred walls! Spare 
the Temple and preserve the Holy House, with its holy 
furniture! For if the Romans get you under their power 
they will no longer abstain from (destroying) them, when 
their former abstinence shall have been so ungratefully re¬ 
quited. I call to witness your Sanctuary, and the holy 
angels of God, and this country, common to us all, that I 
have not kept back anything that is for your preservation.” 
Josephus adds that, “When Agrippa had spoken thus, both 
he and his sister (Bernice) wept, and by their tears re¬ 
pressed a great deal of the violence of the people.” 

Soon after this, however, the priests were persuaded 
that they should refuse “to receive any gift or sacrifice 
for any foreigner. And this was the true beginning of 
our war with the Romans; for they (the temple author¬ 
ities) rejected the sacrifice of Caesar on this account” 
(II 17, 2). 

There were at that time two parties in Jerusalem. One 
turbulent faction advocated immediate revolt against 
the Romans. The other party, led by the priests and 
the chief of the Pharisees, realizing the madness of the 
proposal, sought to restrain the seditious element; but 
finding they would not listen to argument or persuasion, 
they sent to the governor Floras, and also to Agrippa, 
for troops to quell the revolt. From that time the fight¬ 
ing began; but the Jews hilled one another in numbers 
far greater than those slain by the soldiers. The Roman 
garrison was about that time besieged in the fortress of 
Antonia (in the temple area), and was taken and either 
slain or dispersed (II 17, 7). A little later another 
Roman garrison, besieged at Mesada, which had been 
Herod’s stronghold, surrendered under promise that 
their lives would be spared, but they were treacherously 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


253 


slain after they had laid down their arms (II 17, 10) 
These actions, of course, aroused the Roman authorities, 
who began to make preparations to subdue the revolters. 
In the city of Caesarea (built by Herod the Great), 
above 20,000 Jews were killed in one hour, “and all 
Caesarea was emptied of its Jewish inhabitants; for 
Florus caught such as ran away, and sent them to the 
galleys. ’ ’ 

This enraged the whole Jewish nation, so that they 
laid waste the villages of Syria and elsewhere, burning 
some cities to the ground. 

“But,” says Josephus, “the Syrians were even with the 
Jews in the multitude of the men they slew. The disorders 
in all Syria were terrible. Every city was divided into two 
armies, and the preservation of the one party was in the 
destruction of the other. So the daytime was spent in shed¬ 
ding of blood, and the night in fear, which was, of the two, 
the more terrible * * * 

“It was then common to see cities filled with dead bodies, 
still lying unburied; those of old men mingled with infants, 
all scattered about together. Women also lay among them 
without any covering. You might then see the whole province 
full of inexpressible calamities.” 

In some places the horrors were worse because Jews 
fought against Jews. In Scythopolis alone above 13,000 
were slain at one time (II 18:1 & 2). Josephus re¬ 
lates the case of one prominent man who, because of 
the terrible things happening all around, and in order 
to save his family from a worse fate, killed first his 
father and mother with the sword—they willingly sub¬ 
mitting—and afterwards his wife and children, finally 
taking his own life (II 18:3). This incident will give 
us at least a faint idea of the awful conditions of those 
“days of vengeance, and of wrath upon this people.” 

Many pages are filled with accounts of the slaughter of 
the Jews in various places. Reading them we are im¬ 
pressed with the Saviour’s saying that “except those 
days should be shortened there should no flesh be saved” 


254 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


(Mat. 24:22). The calamities were beyond description. 
Thus, at Alexandria, where the Jews had enjoyed the 
greatest privileges for centuries, they were incited to rise 
in revolt by the seditious element, and “were destroyed 
unmercifully, and this, their destruction, was complete. 
Houses were first plundered of what was in them, and 
then set on fire by the Romans. No mercy was shown to 
the infants, and no regard had to the aged; but they 
went on with the slaughter of persons of every age, till 
all the place was overflowed with blood, and fifty thou¬ 
sand of them lay dead in heaps y> (II 18:8). 

The Strange Retreat of Cestius 

The Roman general, Cestius, now led his army from 
Syria into Judea, destroying widely, and laid siege to 
Jerusalem. He made such rapid progress that the city 
was on the paint of being captured. The seditious ele¬ 
ment fled in large numbers, and the peaceable inhabi¬ 
tants were about to throw open the gates to the Ro¬ 
mans, when a remarkable thing took place, so unaccount¬ 
able from any natural standpoint that it can only be 
attributed to the direct intervention of God, and for the 
fulfilment of the ward of Christ. Josephus tells how the 
people were about to admit Cestius as their benefactor, 
when he suddenly recalled his soldiers, and retired from 
the city “without any reason in the world.’’ Had he not 
withdrawn when he did, the city and the sanctuary 
would, of course, have been spared; and Josephus says 
“it was, I suppose, owing to the aversion God already 
had towards the city and the sanctuary, that he (Ces¬ 
tius) was hindered from putting an end to the war that 
very day” (II 19:6). 

But the translator of the history, Wm. Whiston, adds 
a note at this point, which we quote in full: 

“There may be another very important and very prov¬ 
idential reason assigned for this strange and foolish re- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


255 


treat of Cestius, which, if Josephus had been at the time of 
writing his history a Christian, he might probably have taken 
notice of also; and that is the opportunity afforded the 
Jewish Christians in the city, of calling to mind the predic¬ 
tion and caution given them by Christ that ‘when they 
should see the abomination of desolation’ {the idolatrous 
Roman armies , with the images of their idols in their en¬ 
signs) ready to lay Jerusalem desolate , ‘stand where it ought 
not,’ or ‘in the holy place’; or ‘when they should see Jeru¬ 
salem compassed with armies,’ they should then ‘flee to the 
mountains.’ By complying with which, those Jewish Chris¬ 
tians fled to the mountains of Perea, and escaped this de¬ 
struction. Nor was there perhaps any one instance of a more 
unpolitic, but more providential conduct, than this retreat of 
Cestius visible during this whole siege of Jerusalem, which 
(siege) was providentially such a ‘ great tribulation as had 
not been from the beginning of the world to that time; no, 
nor ever should be’.” 

It was very apparent to this learned translator, and 
must be apparent, we should think, to all who are ac¬ 
quainted both with the three inspired records of our 
Lord’s Olivet prophecy, and also with the historical 
facts so wonderfully preserved in this history by Joseph¬ 
us, that the three accounts refer to the same event, that 
“the abomination of desolation” was the armies of im¬ 
perial and pagan Rome, and that the unparalleled suf¬ 
ferings of the Jews during those five years of terror, 
were the “great tribulation” foretold by the Lord in 
Matthew 24:21. 


The Days of Vengeance 

Josephus devotes nearly two hundred large pages 
(they would fill upwards of four hundred of ordinary 
size) to the account of the events of those “days of ven¬ 
geance,” which (as we have seen) involved not only the 
Jews in Palestine, but Jews all over the world. We can 
refer to but a very few of those tragic events; but, inas¬ 
much as not many of our readers have access to the his¬ 
tory of Josephus, we believe we are rendering them a 
service in giving the best idea we can, in small compass, 
of the happenings of those times. 


256 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


After the retreat of Cestius, there was a slaughter of 
about 10,000 Jews at Damascus; and then, it being evi¬ 
dent that war with the Romans was inevitable, the Jews 
began making preparations to defend Jerusalem. At 
that time Josephus, the writer of this history, was ap¬ 
pointed general of the armies in Galilee. He seems to 
have had great ability and success as a soldier, though 
he was finally overpowered and captured by the Romans. 
Concerning one of his military operations his translator 
says: “ I cannot but think this stratagem of Josephus to 
be one of the finest that ever was invented and executed 
by any warrior whatsoever.” 

At this point the emperor Nero appointed Vespasian, 
a valiant and experienced general, to the task of sub¬ 
duing the Jews; and Vespasian designated his son Titus 
to assist him. They invaded Judea from the north, 
marching along the coast, and killing many—18,000 at 
Askelon alone. Thus “Galilee was all over filled with 
fire and blood; nor was it exempt from any kind of 
misery or calamity” (III 4:1). Josephus opposed the 
Roman invasion with such forces as he had, but one by 
one the cities were taken and their inhabitants slain. 
Finally, Josephus himself was driven to take refuge 
in Jotapata, which, after long and desperate resistance, 
was taken by Vespasian. The incidents of this siege 
were terrible; and among them were events which for¬ 
cibly recall the Lord’s words, “But woe to them that 
are with child, and to them that give suck in those 
days.” The Romans were so enraged by the long and 
fierce resistance of the Jews that “they spared none, 
nor pitied any.” Many, moreover, in desperation, 
killed themselves. The life of Josephus was spared in 
a manner which seems miraculous (III 8:4-7), and he 
was taken captive to Vespasian, to whom he prophe¬ 
sied that both he and Titus his son would be “Caesar 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 257 

and emperor/’ .... From that time till the end 
of the war Josephus was kept a prisoner; but he was 
with Titus during* the subsequent siege of Jerusalem, 
in which the atrocities and miseries reached a limit im¬ 
possible to be exceeded on earth. Only the state of the 
lost in hell could be worse. 

After Jotapata fell, Joppa was taken, and then 
Tiberias and Taricheae on Lake Gennesaret. Thou¬ 
sands were killed, and upwards of 30,000 from the last- 
named place alone were sold into slavery. Having now 
completely subdued Galilee, Vespasian led his army to 
J erusalem. 

For a right understanding of Matthew 24:15-21 it is 
important to know that the Roman armies were, for 
more than a year, occupied with the devastation of the 
provinces of Galilee and Judea, before Jerusalem was 
besieged. It should be noted also that Christ’s first 
warnings to flee were “to them which be in Judea” 
(v. 16). This makes it perfectly certain that “the 
abomination of desolation” standing “in the holy 
place,” which was the appointed signal for “them 
which be in Judea to flee into the mountains,” was not 
an idol set up in the inner sanctuary of the Temple. 
For the desolation of Judea was completed long before 
Jerusalem and the Temple were taken. 

At the time Vespasian led his armies to Jerusalem, 
that doomed city was in a state of indescribable disor¬ 
der and confusion insomuch that, during the entire 
siege, the Jews suffered far more from one another in¬ 
side the walls than from the enemy outside. Josephus 
says there were ‘ ‘ disorders and civil war in every city, 
and all those that were at quiet from the Romans 
turned their hands one against another. There was al¬ 
so a bitter contest between those that were for war, 
and those that were desirous for peace” (IV 3:2). 


258 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Josephus further tells of the utter disgrace and ruin 
of the high priesthood, the basest of men being exalted 
to that office; and also of the profanation of the sanc¬ 
tuary. 

The most violent party in the city was the Zealots. 
These called to their aid a band of blood-thirsty 
Idumeans, who set upon the people who were peacea¬ 
bly inclined, and slaughtered young and old until 
“the outer temple was all of it overflowed with blood, 
and that day they saw 8500 dead bodies there.’’ 
Among the slain was Ananus, formerly high priest, a 
venerable and worthy man, concerning whom Josephus 
said: 

“I should not mistake if I said that the death of Ananus 
was the beginning of the destruction of the city, and that 
from this very day may be dated the overthrow of her wall, 
and the ruin of her affairs; that being the day whereon they 
saw their high priest, and the procurer of their preservation, 
slain in the midst of their city. * * * And I cannot but 
think it was because God had doomed this city to destruction, 
as a polluted city, and was resolved to purge His sanctuary 
with fire, that He cut off these, their great defenders, while 
those that a little before had worn the sacred garments and 
presided over the public worship, were cast out naked to be 
the food of dogs and wild beasts. * * * 

“Now after these were slain the Zealots and the Idumeans 
fell upon the people as upon a flock of profane animals, and 
cut their throats.” 

Josephus also tells of the “terrible torments” in¬ 
flicted upon nobles and citizens of the better sort who 
refused to comply with the demands of the Zealots. 
Those, after being horribly tortured, were slain, and 
through fear, none dared bury them. In this way 
12,000 of the more eminent inhabitants perished. 
(IV 5:3). We quote further: 

“Along all the roads also vast numbers of dead bodies 
lay in heaps; and many who at first were zealous to desert 
the city chose rather to perish there; for the hopes of burial 
made death in their own city appear less terrible to them. 
But those zealots came at last to that degree of barbarity 
as. not to bestow a burial either on those slain in the city 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


259 


or on those that lay along the roads; as if * * * at the same 
time that they defiled men with their wicked actions they 
would pollute the Deity itself also, they left the dead bodies 
to putrefy under the sun.” (IV. 6. 3). 

About this time above 15,000 fugitive Jews were killed by 
the Romans, “and the number of those that were forced to 
leap into the Jordan was prodigious. * * * The whole coun¬ 
try through which they fled was filled with slaughter, and 
Jordan could not be passed over, by reason of the dead bodies 
that were in it” (IV. 8. 5, 6). 

Vespasian Recalled. Titus Placed in Charge 

At this point Vespasian was called to Rome by rea¬ 
son of the death of the emperor Nero, and the opera¬ 
tions against the Jews devolved upon Titus. Vespasian 
himself was soon thereafter made emperor. 

Meanwhile another tyrant rose up, whose name was 
Simon, and of him Josephus says: “Now this Simon, 
who was without the wall, was a greater terror to the 
people than the Romans themselves; while the Zealots 
who were within it were more heavy upon them than 
both the other.” Those Zealots were led by a tyrant 
named John; and the excesses of murder and unclean¬ 
ness in which they habitually indulged are indescribable 
(see Bk. IV, ch. 9, sec. 10). 

In order to overthrow John, the people finally admit¬ 
ted Simon and his followers. From that time onward 
the civil warfare within the city became more incessant 
and deadly. The distracted city was now divided into 
three factions instead of two. The fighting was carried 
even into the inner court of the temple; whereupon Jo¬ 
sephus laments that even those who came with sacrifices 
to offer them in the temple were slain, “and sprinkled 
that altar with their own blood, till the dead bodies of 
strangers were mingled together with those of their own 
country, and those of profane persons with those of 
priests, and the hlood of oil sort of dead carcases 
stood in lakes in the holy courts themselves” (V 1:3). 



260 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Surely there never were such conditions as these in 
any city before or since. 

Among the dire calamities which befell the wretched 
people was the destruction of the granaries and store¬ 
houses of food; so that famine was soon added to the 
other horrors. The warring factions were “agreed in 
nothing but to kill those that were innocent.’’ Says 
Josephus: 

“The noise of those that were fighting was incessant, both 
by day and by night; but the lamentations of those that 
mourned exceeded the noise of the fighting. Nor was there 
ever any occasion for them to leave off their lamentations, 
because their calamities came perpetually, one upon another. 
* * * But as for the seditious bands themselves, they fought 
against each other while trampling upon the dead bodies 
which lay heaped one upon another, and being filled with a 
mad rage from those dead bodies under their feet, they be¬ 
came the more fierce. They, moreover, were still inventing 
pernicious things against each other; and when they had re¬ 
solved upon anything, they executed it without mercy, and 
omitted no method of torment or of barbarity (V. 2. 5). 

At tbe time described in the preceding paragraphs, the 
Roman armies had not yet reached the city, and inas¬ 
much as the Passover season now came on, and things 
seemed to quiet down momentarily, the gates were 
opened for such as wished to observe the great feast. 
The translator, in a footnote, says: 

“Here we see the true occasion of those vast numbers of 
Jews that were in Jerusalem during this siege by Titus, and 
who perished therein. For the siege began at the feast of 
Passover, when such prodigious multitudes of the Jews and 
proselytes were come from all parts of Judea, and from other 
countries. * * * As to the number that perished during this 
siege, Josephus assures us, as we shall see hereafter, they 
were 1,100,000, besides 97,000 captives.” 

This is notable as the last Passover. That joyous feast 
of remembrance of God’s great deliverance of His peo¬ 
ple out of Egypt ended in an orgy of blood. The tyrant 
John took advantage of this opportunity to introduce 
some of his followers, with concealed weapons, among 
the throngs of worshippers in the temple, who slew many, 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


261 


while others “were rolled in heaps together, and tram¬ 
pled upon, and beaten without mercy.” 

And now, though the Roman armies were at their 
gates, the warring factions began again to destroy one 
another and the innocent inhabitants. 

“For,” gays Josephus, “they returned to their former mad¬ 
ness, and separated one from another, and fought it out; and 
they did everything that the besiegers could desire them to do. 
For they never suffered from the Romans anything worse 
than they made each other suffer; nor was there any misery 
endured by the city which, after what these men did, could 
be esteemed new. It was most of all unhappy before it 'was 
overthrown ; and those that took it did it a kindness. For 
I venture to say that the sedition destroyed the city, and the 
Romans destroyed the sedition. This was a much harder 
thing to do than to destroy the walls. So that we may justly 
ascribe our misfortunes to our own people” (V. 6. 2). 

This is the most astonishing feature of this “great 
tribulation”; for surely there never was a besieged city 
whose inhabitants suffered more from one another than 
from the common enemy. In this feature of the case we 
see most clearly that it is one of judgment; and that, as 
the apostle Paul said, “the wrath is come upon them to 
the uttermost.” 

At this point the siege began in earnest. Titus, how¬ 
ever, sent Josephus to speak to the Jews, offering them 
clemency, and exhorting them to yield. Josephus made 
a most earnest plea to them not to resist the might of 
Rome, pointing out that God was no longer with them. 
But it was to no purpose. So the siege proceeded out¬ 
side, and the famine began to rage inside, insomuch that 
children pulled out of their parents’ mouths the morsels 
they were eating, and even mothers deprived their in¬ 
fants of the last bits of food that might have sustained 
their lives. 

The fighters, of course, kept for their own use what 
food there was, and it seems that they took a keen de¬ 
light in seeing others suffer. It was a species of mad- 


262 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


ness. They invented terrible methods of torments, such 
as it would not be seemly for us to describe. “And this 
was done,” says Josephus, “to keep their madness in ex¬ 
ercise” (V 10:3). The most horrible and unbelievable 
torments were inflicted upon all who were suspected of 
having any food concealed. The following passage will 
give an idea of the conditions: 

“It is impossible to give every instance of the iniquity of 
these men. I shall therefore speak my mind here at once 
briefly:—that neither did any other city suffer such miseries, 
nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wick¬ 
edness than this was, from the beginning of the world.” (This 
forcibly brings to mind the Lord’s own words.) Finally 
they brought the Hebrew nation into contempt, that they 
might themselves appear comparatively less impious with 
regard to strangers. They confessed, what was true, that 
they were the scum, and the spurious and abortive offspring 
of our nation, lohile they overthrew the city themselves, and 
forced the Romans, whether they would or no, to gain a mel¬ 
ancholy reputation by acting gloriously against them: and 
did almost draw that fire upon the temple which they seemed 
to think came too slowly” (V. 10. 5). 

Under pressure of the famine many Jews went out at 
night into the valleys in search of food. These were 
caught, tortured and crucified in sight of those on the 
walls of the city. About five hundred every day were 
thus treated. The number became finally so great that 
there was not room enough for the crosses, nor crosses 
enough for the victims. So several were ofttimes nailed 
to one cross. 

A little later the Roman armies encompassed the en¬ 
tire city, so that there was no longer any egress there¬ 
from. 

“Then,” says Josephus, “did the famine widen its prog¬ 
ress and devour the people by whole houses and families. 
The upper rooms were full of women and children dying by 
famine; and the lanes of the city were full of the dead bodies 
of the aged. The children also and the young men wandered 
about the marketplaces like shadows, all swelled with the fam¬ 
ine, and fell down dead, wheresoever their misery seized 
them” (V. 12. 3) 

“Thus did the miseries of Jerusalem grow worse and 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


263 


worse every day. * * * And indeed the multitude of carcases 
that lay in heaps, one upon another, was a horrible sight, and 
produced a pestilential stench which was a hindrance to those 
that would make sallies out of the city and fight the enemy” 
(VI. 1. 1). 

“The number of those that perished by famine in the city 
was prodigious, and their miseries were unspeakable. For if 
so much as the shadow of any kind of food did anywhere apr 
pear, a war was commenced presently, and the dearest friends 
fell a fighting one another about it.” 

In this connection Josephus relates in detail the case 
of a woman, eminent for her family and her wealth, who, 

while suffering the ravages of famine, slew her infant 

► 

son and roasted him, and having eaten half of him, con¬ 
cealed the other half. When presently the seditious 
Jews came in to search the premises, and smelt the hor¬ 
rid scent of this food, they threatened her life if she did 
not show them what food she had prepared. She replied 
that she had saved for them a choice part, and withal 
uncovered what was left of the little body, saying, 
“Come, eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself. 
Do not you pretend to be more tender than a woman, or 
more compassionate than a mother. ” Even those des¬ 
perate and hardened men were horrified at the sight, and 
stood aghast at the deed of this mother. They left trem- 
ling; and the whole city was full of what the woman had 
done. It must be remembered that all this time the lives 
of all in the city would have been spared and the city 
and temple saved, had they but yielded to the Romans. 
But how then should the Scripture be fulfilled? (See 
Deut. 28:56, 57.) 

Soon after this the temple was set on fire and was 
burned down, though Titus tried to save it. Josephus 
says: 

“But as for that house, God had for certain long ago 
doomed it to the fire; and now that fatal day was come, ac¬ 
cording to the revolution of ages. It was the tenth day of 
the month Ab, the day upon which it was -formerly burnt by 
the king of Babylon ” (VI. 4. 5), 


264 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


Further Josephus says: 

“While the holy house was on fire everything was plun¬ 
dered that came to hand, and ten thousand of those were 
slain. Nor was there commiseration of any age, or any rev¬ 
erence of gravity; but children, old men, profane persons, and 
priests were all slain in the same manner. * * * Moreover, 
many, when they saw the fire, exerted their utmost strength, 
and did break out into groans and outcries. Perea also did 
return the echo, as well as the mountains round about Jeru¬ 
salem, and augmented the force of the noise. 

“Yet was the misery itself more terrible than this dis¬ 
order. For one would have thought that the hill itself, on 
which the temple stood, was seething hot, as if full of fire on 
every part, that the blood was more in quantity than the fire, 
and that the slain were more in numbers than they who slew 
them. For the ground did nowhere appear visible because of 
the dead bodies that lay upon it” (VI. 5. 1). 

In describing' how a number were killed in a certain 
cloister, which the soldiers set on fire, Josephus says: 

“A false prophet was the occasion of the destruction of 
those people, he having made a public proclamation that very 
day that God commanded them. to c/et upon the temple and 
that they should receive miraculous signs of their deliver¬ 
ance. There was then a large number of false prophets 
suborned by the tyrants to impose on the people, who an¬ 
nounced to them that they should wait for deliverance from 
God” (VI. 5. 2). 

In this detail also the Lord’s Olivet prophecy was 
most literally fulfilled. 

When at last the Romans gained entrance into the 
city, the soldiers had become so exasperated by the stub¬ 
born resistance of the Jews, that they could not be re¬ 
strained from wreaking vengeance upon the survivors. 
So they indulged in slaughter until weary of it. The 
survivors were sold into slavery, but at a very low price, 
because they were so numerous, and the buyers were 
few. Thus was fulfilled the word of the Lord by Moses, 
* ‘ And there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bond- 
men and bondwomen, and no man shall "buy you 99 (Deut. 
28 : 68 ). 

Many were put into bonds and sold to slavery in the 
Egyptian mines, thus fulfilling several prophecies that 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


265 


they should be sold into Egypt again, whence God had 
delivered them (Hos. 8:13; 9:3). 

In concluding this part of his history Josephus gives 
the number of those who perished (a million one hun¬ 
dred thousand) and of those sold into slavery (ninety- 
seven thousand), and explains, as we have already 
stated, that “they were come up from all the country to 
the feast of unleavened bread, and were on a sudden 
shut up by an army. ’ ’ And he adds: 

“Now this vast multitude was indeed collected out of 
remote places, but the entire nation was now shut up by fate 
as in prison, and the Roman army encompassed the city when 
it was crowded with inhabitants. Accordingly the multitude 
of those that perished therein exceeded all the destructions 
that either men or God ever brought upon the world” (VI. 9. 
4). 

Thus ended, in the greatest of all calamities of the 
sort, the national existence of the Jewish people, and all 
that pertained to that old covenant which was instituted 
with glory (2 Cor. 3:7, 9, 11), but which was “to be 
done away.” 

Here may be seen an example of the thoroughness of 
God’s judgments, when He arises to do His “strange 
work.” “Judgment must begin at the house of God”; 
and in view of what is brought to our notice in this his¬ 
tory of Josephus, how impressive is the question, “And 
if it begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey 
not the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17). 


CHAPTER XVI. CONCLUDING COMMENTS 
Edersheim on Matthew XXIV 

We find that able commentators of earlier days have 
pointed out (treating it as a matter too evident to require 
argument) that when Christ warned His disciples of the 
great tribulation that was to come, He meant the dis¬ 
tresses which would attend the then approaching de¬ 
struction of Jerusalem. Alfred Edersheim, who was one 
M the very ablest of commentators, has thus expounded 
the Lord’s Olivet prophecy. We attach special weight 
and authority to his expositions, for the reason that 
there is probably no man of modern times who possessed 
such an extensive and accurate knowledge as he of the 
customs, manners, habits of thought, writings, and tra¬ 
ditions of the Jews and of their leaders, in the days of 
Christ. His “Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” 
gives a marvellously full, detailed and accurate picture 
of Judea and its inhabitants—Jews, proselytes, priests, 
rabbis, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Greeks, 
and Romans—at the beginning of our era. If one were 
to read but half a dozen books, in addition to the Bible, 
Edersheim’s great work should be one of the six. 

Edersheim sees four divisions in the Lord’s Olivet 
prophecy, as recorded in Matthew 24; and it will be in¬ 
structive to follow his analysis of that chapter. 

1. The first division comprises verses 6-8, which con¬ 
tain warnings to the disciples that they are not to re¬ 
gard the “sorrows” He was foretelling (the wars, fam¬ 
ines, pestilences and earthquakes) “as the, judgments 
which would usher in the Advent of their Lord”; in oth¬ 
er words, they were not to regard wars, famines, &c. as 
the signs of His second coming. Those warnings have 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 267 

been needed throughout the age. For the “ sorrows ” 
foretold by Christ, especially when they happened in 
connection with the appearance of some supposed “anti¬ 
christ ’—from Nero down to Napoleon and more recently 
to the German Kaiser—“have frequently,’’ says Mr. E., 
“misled Christians into an erroneous expectancy of the 
immediate advent of Christ.” It is really surprising 
that the Lord’s people should so persistently take to 
be signs of His coming the very things He warned them 
were not to be regarded as such. 

2. The second division of the prophecy embraces 
verses 9-14. It contains warnings broader in scope than 
those of the first section. Two general dangers are here 
specified; (a) “internal, from heresies (‘false proph¬ 
ets’) and decay of faith; (b) external, from persecu¬ 
tions. But along with those two dangers, two consoling 
facts are also pointed out.” The first is that, notwith¬ 
standing the fierce persecutions they were to undergo 
from those high in authority, Divine aid would be given 
them, and by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit 
they would be enabled to testify before kings, rulers and 
tribunals (Mk. 13:9). The second consoling fact, as 
pointed out by Edersheim, is that “despite the persecu¬ 
tions by Jews and Gentiles, before the end cometh ‘this 
gospel of the kingdom’ shall be preached in all the in¬ 
habited earth for a testimony to all nations. This then 
is really the only sign of ‘the end’ of this present age.” 

3. The third division of the prophecy is contained in 
verses 15-28. Concerning this division Mr. E. says: 

“The Lord proceeds, in the third part of this discourse, to 
advertise the disciples of the great historic fact immediately 
before them, and of the dangers which would spring from it. 
In truth we have here His answer to their question ‘ when 
shall these things bef And with this He conjoins the (then) 
present application of His warning regarding false Christs 
(given in verses 4, 5). The fact of which He now advertises 
them is the destruction of Jerusalem .” 


268 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


It will be observed that the question, “When shall 
these things be?” is directly answered by the words, 
“When ye shall see”—(Mat. 24:15; Lu. 21:20). 

Mr. E. further says: 

“This, together with tribulation to Israel, unparalleled in 
the terrible past of its history, and unequalled even in its 
bloody future ” was about to befall them. “Nay, so dreadful 
would be the persecution that, if Divine mercy had not in¬ 
terposed for the sake of the followers of Christ, the whole 
Jewish race that inhabited the land would have been swept 
away.” There should have been “no flesh saved.” 

We endorse, and heartily commend, this simple and 
satisfactory explanation of the Lord’s words, “And ex¬ 
cept those days should be shortened there should no flesh 
be saved” (Mat. 24:22). We have already shown, from 
the records of Josephus, how those awful days were 
“shortened.” 

4. The fourth division of the prophecy is contained 
in verses 29-31. As to this portion Mr. E. says: 

“The times of the Gentiles, ‘the end of the age,' and with 
it the new allegiance of His then penitent people Israel, ‘the 
sign of the Son of man in heaven’ perceived by them, * * * 
the coming of Christ, the last trumpet, the resurrection of 
the dead,—such, in most rapid sketch, is the outline which 
the Lord draws of His coming and the end of the world 
(age).” 

This finishes the prophetic part of the chapter; and 
now at verses 32, 33 the Lord speaks a parable to im¬ 
press upon the minds of His disciples the importance 
and the application of the sign He had given them, 
whereby they might know that the destruction of the 
holy city was near. We quote further from Edersheim: 

“From the ligtree, under which on that spring afternoon 
they may have rested, they were to learn a parable. We can 
picture Christ taking one of its twigs, just as its softening- 
tips were bursting into young leaf. Surely this meant that 
summer was nigh —not that it had actually come. The dis¬ 
tinction is important; for it seems to prove that ‘all these 
things’ which were to indicate to them that ‘it’ was ‘near, 
even at the doors,’ and which were to be fulfilled ere ‘this 
generation’ had passed away, could not have referred to the 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 269 

last signs connected with the advent of Christ, but must ap¬ 
ply to the previous prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem 
and of the Jewish commonwealth .” 

This too is a very simple and satisfactory explana¬ 
tion of the words, “This generation shall not pass till 
all these things be fulfilled.” If those words be taken 
as His answer to the question, “When shall these things 
be?” (v. 3), they are easy of interpretation; but if 
their application be postponed to the far-off future they 
present much difficulty. For example, thus to postpone 
their application would make the Lord contradict his 
positive and most emphatic statement that no signs 
would precede and give warning of His second advent. 

Edersheim further points out in this connection that 
the bursting of the fig-tree into leaf is not the sign of 
harvest, which is the end of the age, but of summer, 
which precedes the harvest. This is significant. 

The Beginning of Sorrows 
In describing the wars and other commotions which 
were to characterize this age from the very start, the 
Lord used an expression which calls for special notice. 
“All these,” He said, “are the beginning of birth- 
pangs” (Mat. 24:8). This word pictures to us the 
present age as one of pains and sorrows such as accom¬ 
pany child-birth. But there is a decidedly hopeful char¬ 
acter to such pains; for they eventuate in that which 
causes “joy.” This present age is the period of the 
birth-pangs of\ the new era, which will be that of the 
manifestation of the sons of God, and of millennial joys 
and blessings for the earth. 

The word “birth-pangs” connects this part of our 
Lord’s prophecy with that of Paul in Romans 8:22, 
where the same word occurs in its verb-form: “For we 
know,” says the apostle, “that the whole creation groan- 
eth and travaileth in pain together until now.” But the 
verses which precede tell what the joyful outcome will 


270 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


be, namely, “the manifestation of the sons of God,’ 7 al¬ 
so called “the adoption,” at which time the creation it¬ 
self also “shall be delivered from the bondage of cor¬ 
ruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” 

The word ‘ ‘ travail-in-birth ’ ’ is found again in a simi¬ 
lar connection in 1 Thessalonians 5 :3, where (speaking 
of the coming of the day of the Lord) Paul says: “For 
when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden de¬ 
struction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman 
with child.” 

From these and other passages of Scripture we may 
gather that woes and pains of the sort specified by the 
Lord in Matthew 24:6-8 will visit the earth with intensi¬ 
fied force at the very time of the end (although the fre¬ 
quency of such occurrences throughout the age would 
prevent them from serving as signs). The wars and 
other woes whereof the Lord spake were “the beginning 
of birth-pangs”; and it is pertinent to recall that birth- 
pangs, after the first intense ones, are intermittent un¬ 
til, at the very end, occur the most severe of all. Thus, 
no doubt, it will be at the end of this present age, as is 
clearly foreshown in the Book of Revelation. 

We would also point out in this connection that the 
word “birth-pangs” connects the prophecy likewise with 
Jeremiah 30 :5-7, which we have already discussed. In 
that passage the prophet foretells the return of the Jews 
from Babylon (v. 3) and then he speaks of “the time 
of Jacob’s trouble,” concerning which he says: “Ask ye 
now and see whether a man doth travail with child? 
Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his 
loins, as a woman in travail etc. 

If then we regard this entire age as a period of birth- 
pangs (as we have warrant to do from the Scriptures 
cited above) we may consider “the time of Jacob’s trou¬ 
ble” as lasting from the destruction of Jerusalem until 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


271 


now. In that view, the words “but he shall be saved out 
of it” seem to be now upon the eve of fulfilment. 

An Illuminating Contrast 

We would now call attention to a strong 1 and pointed 
contrast in our Lord’s Olivet discourse, the which, if we 
give due heed thereto, will afford us much aid in the in¬ 
terpretation of this prophecy, and in the interpretation 
of all prophecies which relate to the end of this present 
age. 

If we examine carefully the entire discourse (as given 
for example by Mark) we will see that our Lord divides 
the future into two distinct periods. The first of these 
extended from the time then present to the destruction 
of Jerusalem, the second from that event to His own sec¬ 
ond advent. Beginning at verse 14 with the words, ‘ 1 But 
when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken 
of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not,” 
down to the end of verse 23, Christ is speaking to His 
disciples concerning the invasion of Judea and the siege 
of Jerusalem by the Roman armies. As to all those 
things (whereof the utter demolition of the magnificent 
temple was the most prominent) His purpose manifest¬ 
ly was to give them explicit information; for those things 
were to happen in that generation. 

Therefore, as regards that period He says: “But take 
ye heed; behold, I have foretold you all things” (v. 23). 

At that point He begins to speak of the second period, 
saying: “But in those days after that tribulation” (v. 
24). Concerning this second period, however, instead 
of imparting definite information, and giving a sign 
whereby His people might be warned of the approaching 
end thereof, He speaks only in the most general terms, 
and He makes plain only one thing, namely, that no im¬ 
mediately preceding signs would be given whereby His 


272 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


people would know that His advent was near. This 
feature of His coining again—its unexpectedness—is 
stated in so many different ways, and is so emphatically 
applied and illustrated (see Mark 13:32-37) that we are 
absolutely controlled by it in the interpretation, not only 
of the Mount Olivet discourse, but of every other proph¬ 
ecy relating to the second coming of Christ. Here is a 
great contrast: one event whereof the Lord was speak¬ 
ing was then close at hand; it was to happen within that 
generation, and it would be immediately preceded by a 
sign, which His disciples could not fail to recognize. But 
the other event (His own coming) would be at a time un¬ 
known even to Himself , and moreover there should be 
no sign to apprise His people of its approach, for which 
reason He impressed it upon them that they were to 
watch “at every season” (Lu. 21:36 Gr.). Concerning 
the first event He said, “Behold, I have foretold you all 
things”; but of the second He said, “But of that day 
and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are 
in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (v. 32). 

We are aware that it is often attempted to escape the 
force of this verse by saying that it is only the precise 
“day and hour” of the Lord’s coming that is left in un¬ 
certainty, and that His words do not forbid us to com¬ 
pute (as many attempt to do) the year of His return. 
But we think that is not treating the Lord’s words fair¬ 
ly, or giving them their proper force; for He plainly 
meant to declare emphatically that the time of His com¬ 
ing was a matter of uncertainty. Moreover, the very- 
next verse says, “Watch and pray; for ye know not 
when the time is,” so it is not merely a question of the 
day and hour, but of the time in general. And finally, 
the teaching of verses 33-37, with the parable by which 
the Lord illustrated it, makes it plain that the uncer- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 273 

tainty as to His return was to extend through the entire 
period of His absence. 

For, just as He spoke a parable to illustrate and to 
settle the meaning of His teaching concerning the period 
before the destruction of Jerusalem (the parable of the 
fig-tree), so likewise He spoke a parable to illustrate and 
to settle the meaning of His teaching concerning the 
period we are now in, which He designates simply as 
“those days after that tribulation,” but which, in 
Luke’s account, is called ‘ ‘ the times of the Gentiles. ’ ’ 

The point of the first parable is that just as the bud¬ 
ding of the fig-tree was a sure sign of the nearness of sum¬ 
mer, so the presence of the Roman armies in Judea 
would be a sure sign of the nearness of the destruction 
of Jerusalem. 

The second parable speaks with equal clearness. It is 
in these words: “ (For the Son of man is) as a man tak¬ 
ing a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority 
to his servants, and to every man his work, and com¬ 
manded the porter to watch.” The Lord Himself has 
applied this parable, saying, “Watch ye therefore, for 

YE KNOW NOT WHEN THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE COMETH, 

at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the 
morning: Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. 
And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.” 

So this parable teaches exactly the reverse of the 
other. The night was divided, according to the custom 
of that time, into four watches. So the Lord speaks of 
His absence as being like a night, in any one of the four 
watches whereof He might return. Thus the question 
of the time of His return was purposely left from the 
very beginning in uncertainty, insomuch that, after the 
destruction of Jerusalem, the only way for His people to 
insure themselves against being taken unawares was “to 
watch.” He was “coming suddenly,” and hence there 


274 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


was always the possibility that His people might be 
found “sleeping/’ 

Thus Mark’s account gives the Lord’s teaching on this 
subject in a positive way, showing the possibility that 
He might come at any watch of the night. In Matthew’s 
account (and also in Luke 17:24-30) the converse is de¬ 
clared, namely, that the Lord’s coming would not be pre¬ 
ceded by any sign whatever. It would be “ as in the days 
that were before the flood’’ when the ordinary incidents 
of life continued “until the day that Noah entered into 
the ark” (Mat. 24:37, 38); and “also as it was in the 
days of Lot, ’ ’ when the overthrow of Sodom and Gomor¬ 
rah came suddenly and unexpectedly, there being no 
warning, “but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, 
it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed 
them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son 
of man is revealed” (Lu. 17:28-30). Words could not 
be plainer. 

From these sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ we can 
see that it is, and always has been, an impossibility to 
calculate, from any figures given in the Bible, the year, 
or even the approximate year, of the Lord’s return. For 
if that was unknown even to Christ Himself when He 
spoke those words, then there was certainly no informa¬ 
tion in the Scriptures from which it could be computed. 

Furthermore we can see how contrary to the teaching 
of Christ is the idea, which is accepted by so many at 
the present time, that He will be “revealed” at the end 
of a supposed “great tribulation” of determinate 
length (seven years, according to some, or three and a 
half years, according to others). Those who locate the 
revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ at the end of “the 
great tribulation” of current teaching, do plainly con¬ 
tradict His own teaching, in that they make the sup- 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


275 


posed “tribulation” a sure sign that His coming is at 
hand. 

Mr. H. Grattan Guinness, in his “Light for the Last 
Days,” speaking of signs of the Lord’s second coming, 
says: 

“If such signs as are imagined by some were to precede 
the advent, the state of society predicted in these passages 
could not by any possibility exist. If monstrous, unheard of, 
supernatural, portentous events were to transpire, would 
they not be telegraphed the same day all over a startled 
world, and produce such a sense of alarm and expectation 
that buying and selling, planting and building, marrying and 
giving in marriage, would all be arrested together, and ‘peace 
and safety’ would be far from anyone’s lips or thoughts? 
* * * No, there was nothing special to alarm the antediluvi¬ 
ans before the day that Noah entered into the ark; nothing 
special to* startle the men of Sodom ere the fire from heaven 
fell; and like as it was in those days, so will it he in these. 
All going on just as usual, no stupendous sign to attract the 
world’s attention.’’ 

Signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars 

There remains for consideration a passage which is 
undeniably difficult. We refer to the Lord’s saying 
about signs in the sun, moon and stars, which, as given 
by Mark, is as follows: 

“But in those days after that tribulation , the sun 
shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 
and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that 
are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see 
the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power 
and glory.” 

This passage might be taken to mean that the “signs” 
in the physical sun, moon and stars, were the immediate 
precursors of the revelation of the Son of man; but the 
teaching of Christ which we have just been considering 
absolutely forbids that interpretation; and to that ex¬ 
tent it helps us in our search for the true meaning. 

Looking closely at the passage we will see that it is 
very indefinite. All it tells us is that “in those days 


276 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


after that tribulation 91 the commotions in sun, moon and 
stars will occur; but there is nothing to indicate at what 
part of “those days” (which now have lasted over eight¬ 
een hundred years) the described commotions would 
take place. “Then”—which may mean any indefinite 
period in the future—Christ Himself would be seen com¬ 
ing in the clouds. 

Inasmuch as what we have learned from the latter 
part of the chapter forbids us to take celestial disturb¬ 
ances here foretold as premonitory signs of the Lord's 
coming, the question arises, for what purpose then did 
He mention them? And this raises another question, 
namely, are we to take these words literally, as do the 
“Adventists” and some others? or are they to be taken 
as figurative, and as referring to the political “heavens” 
(i. e.y the sphere of governments) as understood by some 
able expositors, among whom one of the most prominent 
is Sir Isaac Newton? We know of nothing at present 
whereby this question can be so definitely settled as to 
put the matter beyond all doubt; but we will offer some 
further suggestions which may perhaps contribute to¬ 
wards its solution. 

In the first place, seeing we are debarred by the Lord’s 
plain teaching from taking these commotions to be phys¬ 
ical signs, visible to the eye, preceding and heralding His 
coming, or as having any special connection with that 
event, it would seem almost imperative that we give the 
words a figurative meaning. For it is not conceivable 
that, in speaking of this long age which was to be so 
full of important happenings, Christ would single out 
for mention nothing but a few isolated phenomena of 
nature in the physical heavens. This consideration prac¬ 
tically compels us to find a meaning for the words which 
would make them descriptive of some distinguishing 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


277 


characteristic of the age, or at least of the latter part of 
it. 

When we turn to Luke’s account we find strong con¬ 
firmation of this view. This confirmation appears in 
two particulars, first in the manner in which the refer¬ 
ence to the sun, moon and stars is introduced; and sec¬ 
ond in the fact that it is directly coupled with certain 
general characteristics of the age, such as we should ex¬ 
pect in a brief utterance of this kind. For Luke gives 
it thus (we put the salient part in italics) : 

“For there shall be great distress in the land and 
wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge 
of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all na¬ 
tions; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gen¬ 
tiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And 
there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in 
the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations with per¬ 
plexity, the sea and the waves roaring : Men’s hearts 
failing them for fear, and for looking after those things 
which are coming on the earth; for the powers of hea/ven 
shall be shaken ” (Lu. 21:23-26). 

According to this account the Lord does not break off 
His predictions abruptly at the capture and destruction 
of Jerusalem, but follows the Jews in their dispersion 
“unto all nations,” and also foretells the treading down 
of Jerusalem by the Gentiles until the times of the Gen¬ 
tiles be fulfilled. Thus we are carried into the period 
which follows “after the tribulation of those days,” and 
are informed that that period is divinely designated 
“the times of the Gentiles.”* * Further, the indication is 

■ i 

* The times of the Gentiles are commonly taken as begin¬ 
ning when Nebuchadnezzar carried the Jews into captivity. 
But there is nothing in the Scripture to support this idea, so 
far as we are aware. If the times of the Gentiles were the 
captivity in Babylon, then they would have ended when that 
captivity ended. But God did not then turn away from the 
Jews to the Gentiles. For He sent them His prophets, Hag- 



278 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


clearly given that, at the end of those “times/’ Jerusa¬ 
lem will be restored to the Jews. And now immediately 
follows (in Luke’s account) the passage we are examin¬ 
ing, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the 
moon, and in the stars.” But here we have also the 
further statement, “and on the earth distress of nations 
with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men’s 
hearts failing them, ’ ’ etc. From these words it is clear 
that the Lord is giving (which, as we have pointed out, 
is what we should expect) some very broad and general 
characteristics of our age, with an eye especially upon 
the closing part thereof. Moreover, in speaking of the 
unsettled state of the nations He uses a familiar figura¬ 
tive expression, namely, “the sea and the waves roar¬ 
ing.” This figure represents the turbulence of the 
peoples of the earth (see Rev. 17:15 and Isa. 8:7), just 
as the sun, moon and stars represent rulership, govern¬ 
ments, and authorities. Thus we find good reason for 
concluding that the Lord is here speaking figuratively of 
unusual happenings in the political firmament, that is 
to say, in the sphere of governments, or what Paul calls 
“the higher powers” (Rom. 13:1). 

In Isaiah 13:7-10 we have an example of the use of 
this figure. It occurs in connection with a description 

gai, Zechariah and Malachi. John the Baptist’s ministry was 
to Israel; the Lord Himself was sent to the lost sheep of the 
house of Israel, and His apostles were charged to preach the 
gospel “to the Jew first,” which they were faithful to do. But 
from the destruction of Jerusalem down to the present time, 
the work of God’s Word and Spirit has been among the Gen¬ 
tiles. In view of all this we are inclined to the opinion that, 
although there was a brief period when the preaching of the 
gospel to the Gentiles overlapped the preaching of Peter and 
other apostles to the Jews, yet “the times of the Gentiles” 
may be said to have fully begun from the destruction of Jeru¬ 
salem. It is, of course, a matter of comparatively slight im¬ 
portance when the times of the Gentiles began, since it is 
agreed on all hands that they are in continuance at the pres¬ 
ent time, and that they will extend to the second coming of 
Christ. 




AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


279 


of “the day of the Lord/’ We quote verse 10: “For 
the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall 
not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his go¬ 
ing forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to 
shine.” Taking these words in connection with Gene¬ 
sis 1.T6-18, and with Joseph’s dream about the sun, moon 
and stars (which his father and brethren had no need 
of one to interpret for them, Gen. 37 :9, 10), and in con¬ 
nection also with Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2 :31 and 3 :15; and 
Rev. 12:1, we get the idea that the sun stands for au¬ 
thority on earth in the broadest sense, and the moon for 
lesser authority, and the stars for prominent persons in 
the sphere of government. 

Further reason in support of the view that the Lord 
used the sun, moon and stars as symbols in this passage, 
is found in the fact that, throughout the Scriptures, the 
prediction of political changes of this era are given in a 
veiled form, that is to say, by figures and symbols. Thus, 
in Daniel the successive powers are indicated first as 
parts of a huge metallic image, and then as great beasts, 
following one after another. In Revelation the last of 
these beasts reappears, in its ten-horned (that is its lat¬ 
ter) stage of development, which is the state it will be 
in when destroyed by the coming of Christ. Individual 
powers are represented by horns, and notable person¬ 
ages in the political heavens by stars. That the sun, 
moon and stars are used in a figurative sense in Revela¬ 
tion is proved by the words: “And there appeared a 
great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun; 
and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown 
of twelve stars” (12:1). From this we may safely infer 
that the sun stands for supreme governmental authority 
over the earth, the moon for lesser dominion, and the 
stars for notable rulers or potentates. 

Turning now to Revelation 6:12 we read, “and the 


280 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon be¬ 
came as blood y and the stars of heaven fell unto the 
earth/’ &c., which words are suited to present, symbol¬ 
ically, the complete overthrow of governmental author¬ 
ity, the bloody character of that which for the time takes 
its place, and the downfall of all rulers and magistrates. 

The reasons for speaking thus in veiled language of 
political changes in the world in this dispensation, are not 
hard to discern ; for this is an era in which God’s people 
are strangers and pilgrims on earth, having no affilia¬ 
tions with the powers that be, but are taught to be in 
subjection to them. Hence, our Lord Himself would, of 
course, use the same form of utterance in forecasting 
the political happenings of these times of the Gentiles. 
Therefore it may reasonably be taken that when the 
Lord spake of the sun, moon and stars in terms striking- * 
ly similar to those found in Revelation, He meant to say 
that the darkening of the sun (i. e., the decay of supreme 
authority in the world), would begin “immediately” 
after the destruction of Jerusalem; and putting the two 
passages together, we would conclude that this figurative 
darkening of the sun was to become more and more pro¬ 
nounced until, at the climax of the dispensation, it would 
become total darkness, while at the same time the rulers 
would all fall together, as a fig-tree casts her figs when 
shaken by a mighty wind. 

Some such interpretation of the Lord’s words seems 
almost a necessity when we consider His express decla¬ 
ration that physical signs were not to be given in this 
age in respect to the one and only event for which His 
people were to wait and watch. 

• A gradual weakening of authority on earth in the 
hands of those with whom it has been lodged, such as 
we have indicated above, has been a characteristic of 
this age; and it is such a pronounced feature of our own 



AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 281 

days, that “the decay of authority” and “the spirit of 
lawlessness” are themes upon which men in public life 
often dilate at the present time, and in words which be¬ 
tray the most serious apprehensions as to the outcome. 
In the moon’s not giving her light, w r e may see the weak¬ 
ening of authority in a narrower sphere, such as national 
governments, which are all changing from monarchies 
to democracies. And in the stars’ falling from heaven, 
we may see the downfall of notable personages, as the 
German Kaiser, the imperial family of Austria (the 
Hapsburgs), the Romanoffs—for centuries rulers of Rus¬ 
sia—the kings of Greece and Bulgaria, and lesser per¬ 
sonages in the political sphere (see Rev. 9:1). 

These happenings are not sufficiently definite to serve 
as “signs” of the Lord’s coming, nor do they stand in 
any given time-relation to that event. But they do serve 
admirably to the furtherance of the one practical object 
which the Lord had in view in speaking this part of His 
discourse, and which He has made quite plain, namely, 
that His people should be kept constantly in a state of 
expectancy of His coming again. So, without giving 
them any sign of His coming, or making any definite 
statement about it, He could say, “And when these 
things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up 
your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh” (Lu. 
21:28). 

One further point is to be noted: In connection with 
the reference to the sun, moon and stars, Luke says, 
“for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken”; and the 
same words occur, in the same connection, in both Mat¬ 
thew and Mark. These words are explanatory of what 
the Lord said about the sun, moon and stars, and show 
that He did not mean physical commotions. “There is 
no power” (of this sort) “but from God” (Rom. 13:1). 
Peter uses the same word when, speaking of Christ’s 


282 


THE SEVENTY WEEKS 


having ascended on high, he said, “angels and authori¬ 
ties and powers being made subject unto Him” (1 Pet. 
3:22). We have seen in the course of these studies that 
there is a mysterious connection between the several 
“powers” that rule in the world and certain mighty an¬ 
gelic beings. But these “powers” have been all made 
subject to Christ, Whose prerogative it is to “shake” 
them at His pleasure. And surely there has been a 
great shaking of these powers in our day, reminding us 
of what is written in another place: ‘ * But now He hath 
promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth 
only, but also heaven” (Heb. 12:26). This is in close 
agreement with the words found in Matthew’s account, 
“And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Mat. 
24:29). 

It should not be overlooked that, in Matthew’s ac¬ 
count, we have the word “immediately”; for he says 
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall 
the sun darkened,” etc. (Mat. 24:29); and no doubt 
this word is what has led many expositors to suppose 
that the great tribulation was to be at the very end of 
this present age, followed “immediately” by signs in the 
physical heavens, and by the visible coming of Christ. 
But whatever be the force of the word which our trans¬ 
lators have rendered “immediately,” it cannot be per¬ 
mitted to displace the tribulation foretold by Christ as 
coming (and which did come) in that generation, and to 
remove it away off to the end of this age. Nor can it be 
permitted to make the tribulation and the commotions 
in the heavens a sign of His second coming, in contradic¬ 
tion of His plain teaching as to that event. Rather, must 
we assume, in harmony with all that Christ has said on 
that subject, that the fulfilment of this particular part of 
the prophecy began from the destruction of Jerusalem , 
and is to be seen in all of God’s dealings in judgment 


AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION 


283 


with “the higher powers” (Rom. 13:1), from that time 
onward. 

The word “immediately” used by Matthew (not 
found in the corresponding part of Mark or Luke) sig¬ 
nifies merely that the destruction of Jerusalem would 
be followed immediately by a period (of unmeasured 
length) which would be characterized by commotions of 
the sort described. Such disturbances have been, as we 
have seen, one of the outstanding characteristics of the 
age, and are a special mark of our own times. 

Finally, in bringing these studies to a close, we would 
say again that we do not in the least question that there 
will be much “tribulation” for mankind, and many 
“distresses” and “woes,” in the end-time of this pres¬ 
ent age, to be followed by the outpouring of the vials in 
which is “filled up the wrath of God” (Rev. 15:1). All 
we assert is that, regardless of the nature and severity of 
the afflictions which are yet to come , that 'particular 
“tribulation” whereof the Lord spake as the “great 
tribulation,” and as “the days of vengeance (Mat. 24: 
21; Lu. 21:22) was the execution of divine judgment up¬ 
on Daniel’s people and his holy city, for which God used 
the Roman armies under Titus in A. D. 70. 



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God’s Way in Sickness.05 

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The Life Boat and Death Boat.05 

The Titanic Catastrophe .05 

The Word of God not Bound .05 

In Heavenly Places .05 

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Sickness Among Saints . 


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More Than a Prophet. An important and timely mes¬ 
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The Character of Matthew’s Gospel .10 

His Accusation. Matt. 27:36-37 .10 

The Beginning of the Gospel .05 

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Two Addresses on the Sermon on the Mount.15 

The Kingdom Heresies of S. D. Gordon.15 

David and the Gospel .03 











































































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